Second Chance
by Chris813
Summary: Inspired by the song Second Chance by Shinedown. A certain young blonde runs away from home to start a new life, leaving his family behind. How will his new life turn out? Will he ever see his family again? And why did he run in the first place? RxA
1. Prologue

Hey ^_^ This is my first real fanfiction on this site. I've just been really into KH fanfics lately and I was listening to this song and felt inspired! Btw if you don't know it, it is Second Chance by Shinedown. I love this song. So enough about me! Onto the prologue!

**Edit**: For all those who have already read this and for those who are about to, I forgot to mention that this is going to be story with the pairing AxelXRoxas and there will be slight yaoi... so if you don't like that kind of stuff then you have come to the wrong place. I'm not going to have any lemons in here, though I might hint at stuff and have romantic scenes ^_^ I can't help myself with that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, any of the the characters, or the song Second Chance. I just like them a lot. :)

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**Prologue**

_My eyes are open wide; by the way I made it through the day._

_I watch the world outside, by the way I'm leaving out today._

_I just saw Hailey's Comet she waved, said, _

_"Why are you always running in place? _

_Even the man in the moon disappeared somewhere in the stratosphere."_

A dark figure slipped through the hall, quickly and quietly. Finally, after so much planning, the night had come for him to leave. There was nothing to stop him, everyone sleeping soundly as he crept through the dark house. His heart beat furiously as he moved forward, his cruel mind tormenting him with images of every possible way that tonight could go wrong. His parents or either one of his siblings could suddenly throw open their door, catching him before he even got to the stairs. Or he could fall down said stairs and wake everyone up as he crashed onto the ground floor. That had actually happened before but he hadn't been sneaking around when it happened.

_Tell my mother, tell my father, I've done the best I can_

_To make them realize this is my life. I hope they understand._

_I'm not angry, I'm just saying. Sometimes goodbye is a second chance._

Passing by his parent's door, a loud snore was heard and he paused, looking sadly towards the noise. It brought back so many memories of aggravation and sleepless nights but he knew he would miss it all the same. A dull pain started in his chest as he stood there, remembering. He may have been running away but he still loved his family and it hurt to think that he might never see them again.

_Please don't cry one tear for me, I'm not afraid of what I have to say._

_This is my one and only voice, so listen close it's only for today._

_I just saw Hailey's Comet she waved, said, _

_"Why are you always running in place? _

_Even the man in the moon disappeared somewhere in the stratosphere."_

Shaking hands reached into a coat pocket to extract a thin envelope with two names on it. A moment later it was carefully placed in front of the door where it would be seen once the room's occupants stepped out. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to calm his shaking before he continued on his way, down the stairs to the front door where he paused once more to look back at the home being left behind. One final look was all the allowed himself before slipping out the door, closing it on all the precious memories that the house held.

_Tell my mother, tell my father, I've done the best I can_

_To make them realize this is my life, I hope they understand._

_I'm not angry, I'm just saying. Sometimes goodbye is a second chance._

There was no going back now. He was on his way. He was free!

_Here is my chance. This is my chance!_

Freedom... his one chance. He should be happy, right? Then why did he feel so horrible? He stopped walking and leaned against a street lamp, staring around aimlessly. He knew he should be getting as far away as possible at the moment but he just stood there, his eyes falling on his own reflection in a shop window. A pair of miserable blue eyes stared back at him from underneath a head of blonde hair that spiked up oddly in different places in a slight gravity-defying way. Reaching up, he tugged on a spike with a frown, thinking of his brothers' own gravity-defying hair. Cloud and Sora both had spikes that stood up in all directions, though Sora was a brunette while Cloud was a blonde like him.

_Tell my mother, tell my father, I've done the best I can_

_To make them realize this is my life. I hope they understand._

_I'm not angry, I'm just saying. Sometimes goodbye is a second chance._

He felt his breath hitch as memories of his brothers swam before his eyes. His older brother, Cloud, ruffling his hair like he always did before he left the house. He was a man of few words, so that was his way of saying goodbye to his little brother. His older twin, Sora, tackling him excitedly for no reason at all. He felt his chest tighten and his eyes water as he remembered all the times they had together. He had never been away from his twin before, but he would just have to find a way to deal with it. And Cloud was away at college most of the time anyway, so maybe that would make it easier on him.

_Sometimes goodbye is a second chance_

Rubbing his eyes to clear them, he turned and sprinted down the street, willing himself not to cry. He didn't notice the pair of heartbroken blue eyes, identical to his own, that watched him as he disappeared around a corner.

_Sometimes goodbye is a second chance_

"Why, Roxas?"

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:) I might not like this when I reread it next week but right now I'm happy with it. And if you are too then I would really appreciate a review. If not, then a review to tell me why not would also be appreciated! I am open to any and all criticism! And if you have any ideas for how you want the story to go then feel free to tell me. I have many ideas myself but sometimes the best ideas come from other people ^_^ ok thanks for reading! Hopefully you'll come back for chapter 1! Whenever I get to it, anyway... I have a major test I should be studying for right now O_O


	2. Chapter 1: New Life

Hey! Sorry this took so long... I meant to put this out on Saturday but then my friends invited me to go out to a party and... well... I partied a little too hard and wasn't really up to finishing the chapter the next day. And then I had my modern philosophy and physics tests the last 2 days. But now it is out!

And this chapter is dedicated to... **dancingwiththestars **who was my one and only reviewer! Thanks for reviewing and for the cookie! XD OM NOM NOM! I love your idea about some chapters looking at Sora's world now. It's perfect for the story! I have some major ideas!! lol and I'm not going to make Axel a criminal or anything but you'll see how he is soon enough. I'm going to talk about how they met and expand on things more in some of the next few chapters but here is chapter 1!

Warning: For those of you who don't know already(since I had forgotten to make it known in the first chapter), this story's main pairing is AxelXRoxas and there will be slight yaoi. If you don't like then don't read. I'm not going to write any lemons in here though I might hint at stuff and have romantic scenes(some that will lead up to hinted stuff).

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom hearts or any of the characters. I just like them a lot. :)

Oh yeah... and you may recognize some of Axel's lines... they fit so perfectly that I just couldn't resist! lol

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**Chapter 1**

_Three years later_

"Roxas."

The blonde groaned and rolled over, pulling his sheets up over his head to block out the voice. He vaguely recalled that it was Sunday, his day off, so there was no reason for him to get out of bed.

"Rooooooooooxas."

This time there was no movement or sound as he refused to acknowledge the other's presence. A minute later retreating footsteps were heard and he sighed in contentment, snuggling closer to his sheets as he started to fall back to sleep.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

Roxas was jolted back into consciousness by the loud, pain-filled scream that came from down the hall. Heart racing, he jumped out of bed and dashed out of the room, trying to find the source of the noise. He was wide awake now and worrying about his roommate when he ran into the kitchen, tripping over something in the doorway, making him fall flat on his face. Cursing, he was trying to get up and see what he had tripped on when he heard the laughter.

"Axel..." Roxas growled, slowly standing up. He glanced over at the doorway and saw a thin rope tied across the bottom of it, slightly loose and swaying from the force of him rushing into it before. Clenching his hands into fists, he turned towards the source of the laughter and glared. His redheaded roommate, and best friend, was leaning on the kitchen counter with his back to Roxas, trying to get his laughter under enough control to face him. The blonde just stood there silently fuming as he waited for him to turn around.

"Heh, well would you look at that! You're up early on a Sunday, Roxy!" Axel said, finally facing his roommate with a look that said he was still planning something. Roxas just walked over to him, still glaring, but cautious all the same.

"What was all that about?" he said, trying to calm himself down. He took a deep breath, unclenching and clenching his fists a few times.

"Just a little wake-up call for a special day," the redhead said simply, grinning and turning away.

"Special day?" Roxas asked, confused. He didn't remember there being anything special planned for that day. He just knew that they both had the day off and he had wanted to sleep in for once. Axel turned back to him, frowning.

"You really don't remember?" he said, seeing the puzzled look on his roommate's face. He chuckled as the blonde just stared at him, waiting for him to remind him why this was a 'special day.' "Man, talk about blank with a capital 'B'." Roxas was not amused.

"What's going ON?" he practically yelled, getting fed up. He wanted to throw something but everything within reach was either breakable or sharp. Axel just smirked and leaned against the kitchen counter, a strange look coming into his sea-green eyes as he stared at his friend. Roxas felt his cheeks heat up at the intensity of his gaze and looked away, trying to make the blush go away.

The truth was, Roxas really liked the older man and thought that the feelings might be mutual but he was still too afraid to risk their friendship. Axel was the closest thing he had to a family since he had left home 3 years ago and he couldn't lose him too. He had come so close to confessing to him on his 20th birthday just last month but pulled back at the last minute. Axel was only 4 years older than him, but he wasn't sure if that made any difference to the redhead. It was so confusing, especially since Axel liked to treat him like a kid.

"Ok, ok, I'll tell you." Roxas was pulled from his thoughts to look back at his companion. Axel chuckled, slinging an arm around the blonde's shoulders, which brought on a blush even redder than before. "Demyx is throwing a party tonight and the whole crew is invited remember? It's to celebrate the end of a successful tour!"

"Oh!" Roxas exclaimed as it all came back to him. Demyx, the lead guitarist in the famous band, XIII, was always throwing a party after every tour. He said it was a tradition that would bring them luck on the next tour. Roxas and Axel, both of whom worked behind the scenes, were always invited to the parties, not to mention that Axel and Demyx had been close friends for years before the band was even famous.

Most of the crew was invited to every party. Like Roxas, who was in charge of the band's appearance every show. He took care of outfitting them in fashionable clothes, designed by himself, and telling the make-up and hair artists what to do for each member. If even one of them didn't look presentable, he was to blame. Axel, on the other hand, was in charge of special effects. He always made the shows spectacular and _always_ managed to sneak in at least 2 or 3 fire effects in every show. The crowd seemed to love it but Demyx was always arguing that they needed less fire and more water. Of course, Axel always won out in the end. Though he was ordered to cut back a bit after almost setting one of the band members on fire during a show.

"What time is the party?" he asked, frowning.

"It's tonight at 7."

"So was it necessary to wake me up at 8 in the morning!" Roxas stepped out from under Axel's arm and glared at him. "You couldn't just let me sleep in for once?" The redhead just laughed.

"Of course not! It's our day off! We need to spend it out having fun! I have some special things planned for today," he said, smirking. Roxas narrowed his eyes in suspicion, not liking the look in his friend's eyes. After holding his gaze for a moment, he just sighed in defeat and walked over to the cabinet that housed the cereal. Pulling one down, he glanced over at Axel who was still watching him with that same smirk.

"I don't know what you're planning but you better watch yourself, Axel," he said, grabbing a bowl and spoon for his cereal. Axel's smirk turned into an all-out grin as he walked over ruffled the blonde's spiky hair.

"Don't worry, you'll love it. Just you wait. This'll be a day to remember. Got it memorized?"

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YAY!!!!! First chapter done! I had wanted it to be longer but everything has been crazy lately... oh well. I only had 1 reviewer anyway! So if you guys want a second chapter that is nice and long then hurry and review! It motivates me! Even if it's just tearing my story apart! I am open to all criticism! I actually didn't like how this chapter came out, the ending was a bit rushed because I just wanted to get it out. Well the next chapter will be better! Just review please!


	3. Chapter 2: Party Time

Hey! I'm sorry for taking so long... so I'm making it up to you with this extra long chapter! :) I hope you like it! I've been going crazy with work but I'm glad I finally got this out.

Thanks to **kingdomheartsforevs**, **SaphireWhiteWolf**, and **M.H.** for the reviews! I love them! And I just want to say that I know that Demyx plays a Sitar but for my story it will just be a guitar because I think that that makes it more realistic.

Warnings: Slight yaoi. Things implied/mentioned but no actual lemons. Sorry but I'm horrible with lemons. You'll have to use your own imagination for that.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of it's characters._

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**Chapter 2**

"Roxas! Axel!"

Stepping into Demyx's house, the two friends were immediately pounced on by none other than the host himself. He smiled, grabbing their coats and throwing them at the boy next to him, who quickly ran to the closet to put them away. Axel raised an eyebrow at the boy's ecstatic expression and looked at Demyx. The blonde mullet haired band member smiled back at him.

"He's my new neighbor and a big fan. I told him he could come to the party if he helped out a bit," Demyx explained, chuckling. Roxas shook his head and started to walk away, exasperated, but Demyx pulled him back. "Jeez, Roxas, it's not like he's upset about it. The kid likes it! He even gets to mingle with us band members. It works out for both parties."

Roxas decided not to say anything and found himself being pulled into the living room, along with Axel. He guessed that Demyx invited more than just the crew because the house was packed and that was saying something considering its size. No, it wasn't a mansion or anything but it was close enough. With 3 floors and a basement, it could've housed a large family easily but it normally just held the 4 band members and maybe the occasional crewmember. Roxas had never stayed there but Axel had stayed over before for various reasons. One of them being that he got too drunk at a party and Roxas wasn't there to drive him back to their place.

"Sit down and relax, guys," Demyx said, leading them over to the couch that was off-limits to everyone except Demyx and his close friends. Roxas fell back onto the couch with a sigh, the cushions sucking him downwards as if they were trying to eat him. Leaning his head back and closing his eyes, he took Demyx's advice and relaxed. He felt the couch move slightly as the other two sat beside him with a chuckle. "Why are you so tired, Rox?"

"Ugh… ask him," he mumbled, cracking an eye open and pointing at the smirking redhead by his side. Axel shook his head and turned to the guitarist.

"I woke him up early so that we could spend the day together today since it was our day off. He complained most of the day that I woke him up too early and that I shouldn't drag him around everywhere," he told his friend with a sigh. "I just wanted to go out and have fun with him. It's not like we get to hang out a lot during work." It was true. Axel and Roxas were always too busy to see each other even though they were almost always working in the same building.

"We could've just hung out and watched a movie or something," Roxas groaned, turning his head to look at his roommate. "You got me up early and dragged me all around the mall and the park. The only time I got to rest was when we went to lunch and even that didn't last very long!" Axel grinned sheepishly.

"Ok maybe I overdid it just a little," he admitted while Demyx laughed. Catching the glare from the younger blonde, he added, "Ok maybe I overdid it a LOT."

"Whatever," Roxas mumbled, turning his head forward and closing his eyes for a second time. He relaxed as Axel and Demyx started chatting, only to jump up a second later as a voice yelled in his ear.

"Hey, tiger!" Roxas turned and glared at the man behind him, hating how he always made him feel like a little kid. The man reached out to ruffle his hair but the blonde managed to dodge, having had plenty of practice. He smacked the hand away as it came again, watching the man frown and pretending to look at him sadly with his one visible eye. The other was covered by a black eye-patch that ran around his scarred face and into the long black and silver streaked hair that fell down his back in a ponytail.

"My name is Roxas. Not Tiger, not kiddo. Roxas!" He sighed and rolled his eyes as the man just laughed and walked around to the front of the couch.

"Hey, Xiggy!" Demyx yelled, noticing him. Axel turned to him too, smiling.

"Hey, Xigbar, what's up?" he said, chuckling at the sour face on his roommate. The pirate look alike always got under his skin no matter how many times they saw each other and Axel enjoyed himself by sitting back and watching. Of course, since Xigbar worked on the set, Axel worked close with him many times so Roxas had made it clear that if Axel wanted to hang out at work that he would have to come to Roxas.

"Nothing much. Just looking for some people to gossip with," he said smirking. Axel and Demyx leaned forward excitedly while Roxas groaned as Xigbar sat on the armrest next to Demyx.

"Gossip? Please tell me it's something good! I'm tired of the old and boring," whined the guitarist pitifully. Xigbar laughed and nodded.

"Oh it's good alright." He leaned down closer to the couch's occupants and spoke lower. "It seems that Xemnas is actually coming to the party. And it seems that he is not coming alone." Demyx gasped and even Roxas looked up in surprise.

"WHAT?!" Everyone nearby turned to look at Axel who just continued to stare at the scar-faced man. Xemnas just so happened to be the manager of the band though he is rarely ever seen. Roxas had only met him once back when he had first started working for him.

"He never comes to my parties!" Demyx said, leaning back in shock. "And to be coming WITH someone? Wow…" The manager was known to not show any emotion and rarely ever interacted with others. Everyone just assumed that Xemnas didn't like people in general so that made the news even more shocking. Axel turned to joke around about it when Xigbar spoke again.

"Hey, I'm not done just yet," he said, smirking evilly. The three turned back to him immediately, curious to know what else he knew. "I know who he is coming with. And you know him too."

"HIM?!" Again, everyone close by turned to stare at the loud redhead. Xigbar nodded. Axel laughed. "HA! So Mansex really does like man sex!" They all laughed at that before the couch buddies all turned on the scarred man with intense eyes. Even Roxas really wanted to know whom their 'superior' was coming with.

"So? Who is it? Don't make me beg, Xiggy!" Demyx was whining again. The other 2 just sat there waiting as Xigbar continued to laugh. He didn't stop until Axel gave him a look that said he'd better spill or he was in deep trouble. Demyx's nose scrunched up as he made a face. "It's not Marly, is it?"

"As if! You think Marluxia would go to the boss when he has tons of screaming fans all over him all the time?" Marluxia was the lead singer in the band. He was a cocky pretty boy who loved the limelight and could always be found with a girl (sometimes even a guy) on each arm. "You know how he is. He LOVES the attention." He paused and the other three held their breaths, waiting. "He is coming with…"

"JUST SAY IT ALREADY!" Everyone jumped and looked over at Roxas, shocked. That kind of thing was expected from Axel, never Roxas. Under normal circumstances, the other 3 would've been laughing hysterically at the turn of events but Xigbar saw 3 hard stares directed his way, compelling him to speak. It took a little bit longer for the crowd to go back to their own conversations but when they did, he spoke.

"It's Saix."

"Wow." Axel said after a minute. "Should've seen that one coming." The others nodded, thinking it over. Saix was the assistant manager who took care of everything in Xemnas' place. Since the boss was rarely ever seen, Saix was always there in his place, answering questions and supervising where he needed to. If you ever needed to get in touch with Xemnas himself, you had to go to Saix for that.

Suddenly Roxas broke out into a fit laughter and it wasn't long until his friends joined him. Xigbar eventually left to spread the juicy news to more people, leaving the 3 to laugh to their hearts content.

"Oh man, I really needed that," Roxas said once his laughter had died down to the occasional giggle. The trio stayed there for the longest time, just hanging out before they were pulled back into the party by many other band and crewmembers.

~Some time later~

Roxas ducked into one of the less crowded rooms, looking for Axel or even Demyx. He had just managed to escape Luxord, the band's drummer, who was trying to get him to join his poker game in the next room. Luckily, Larxene, a crewmember who worked the stage lights, had come in right at that moment and Luxord turned his attention to her. He was drinking and whenever he was drinking and gambling, it meant only one thing. Strip Poker. Normally Roxas wouldn't have to worry because Luxord was straight but he didn't really seems to care when he was drinking. Of course he still leaned towards the females, as was demonstrated when his attention was immediately snatched by the beautiful tall blonde that was Larxene.

Shaking his head, Roxas made his way up a flight of stairs and smiled, catching sight of 2 familiar silhouettes standing out on the balcony. He walked towards them, overhearing a small part of their conversation.

"10 minutes to midnight, Ax." The younger blonde stopped walking. Why did Demyx sound so nervous? "I should go find Zexion." Roxas smiled at that. So that's why. Everyone knew that Demyx has had a crush on Zexion for the longest time. Zexion organizes all the shows and tours for the band while also helping Demyx with his songs. They were the dynamic duo, Demyx wrote the tunes and Zexion wrote the lyrics. They had already come out with several hits working as a team and Luxord was making bets on when they would finally get together.

"Wow, I didn't think it was this late already," Axel said, chuckling. Roxas frowned. The laugh seemed strained, as if he was also nervous. He knew he should either leave or make himself known but he kept on eavesdropping in hopes of finding out what was wrong with him. He moved to the side quickly as he saw Demyx turn around, about to head towards him. He stopped and turned to Axel.

"Remember, a promise is a promise. We can't chicken out now. So... good luck!" His voice was shaking a bit by the end of it as he pulled Axel into a hug. Seeing that Demyx was about to leave, Roxas decided to come out. "You have to go find-" He stopped speaking as he spotted Roxas coming towards them. "Oh, hey, Roxy!" Axel jumped and turned to him with a shaky smile in place.

"Hey, guys, what's going on? Axel, are you ok?" His shaky smile had turned into a grimace, making Roxas nervous. Demyx looked at him and chuckled a bit.

"He's fine." He put a hand on the redhead's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. Then he let go and headed away from the balcony. "Hey, I've got to go. Stay here with Axel, I'll see you later!" He ran off and Roxas turned back to his roommate, suspicious.

"Roxy, come here please," he said, strangely. Roxas walked forward smelling the alcohol as he got closer.

"I'm going to have to drive you home," he said, sighing as he leaned on the balcony next to him. "How much have you had?" Roxas looked down at the cup clutched in Axel's hand, hoping that it was only his second. Axel chuckled.

"Not sure," he said, taking a sip. "It's nice. Helps with my nerves."

"And why do you need help with your nerves?" Roxas asked patiently. Axel turned to him and the blonde almost took a step back at the intensity he saw in those two sea-green eyes.

"Rox, I... WAIT!" Roxas jumped, really taking a step back this time. Axel made some really weird hand motion that seemed to mean that he wanted Roxas to stay put. "Be back soon." He raced away strangely and Roxas watched as he stopped in the hallway, right in front of the clock. He stood there for a minute, as if waiting for something, and then raced back to the balcony with a smile.

"Ok, it's midnight." He suddenly grabbed onto Roxas' hands and he was again trapped in the intense gaze of the redhead. "Roxas. I have wanted to say this for the longest time." He took a breath and just about shouted his next sentence. "I love you!"

Before the blonde could even gasp, he was pulled into the other's arms and suddenly there were a pair of soft, warm lips covering his own. He could taste the liquor as reality hit him and he wrapped his arms around the redhead's neck, deepening the kiss. This was really happening. It was all real. It was the best moment of his life.

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Ok so I might have made some mistake because I didn't really proofread this chapter but I'm tired so this is what you get. :) But I'm excited! They're getting together! But what is going on with Demyx and Zexion? And what's going on with Sora after not seeing his twin in years? Review and find out! I LOVE REVIEWS! They get me pumped for the next chapter! Plus, I like criticism. Tell me what you guys do or don't like about it! Please!


	4. Chapter 3: The Problems with Drinking

Ok first off I would like to thank my awesome reviewers: **SaphireWhiteWolf** and **dancingwiththestars**! Thanks so much! Saphire, I try not to end with evil cliffhangers but I might end up doing so in later chapters so... don't kill me then! lol... and dancing, thanks for the cookie! but... please don't deprive me of my motivation! I'm going to get to the past and Sora's part but I have something else I have to finish with in the story first... This is part 1 of the 2 parts of chapter 3 and Sora will be in chapter 4. That's when you get all your info. I wanted to get chapter 3 out in one big chapter but I haven't had the time to get to the other half of it and I have 4 midterms this week so I won't be able to get to it until next week when I'm off on spring break. I didn't want to make you guys wait and this ends at the perfect part so I thought I'd just put it up now! :)

Oh and does anyone else want me to stop with the whole, center alignment thing? I just have always loved doing that and reading it that way but if people don't like it then I am willing to change! This may be the last chapter I have in the center of the page! So what do you guys want?

Warning: Mentions of men having sexual relations with each other. Nothing specific though. If you don't like it then I wonder why you're still reading my story. It's kind of obvious from my past warnings and from the story itself that this was coming. XP

Disclaimer: I do NOT down Kingdom Hearts or any of it's characters.

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**Chapter 3**

"Hmm."

Roxas let out a contented sigh, shifting slightly as he started to gain consciousness. Wincing slightly at the soreness of his lower half, he began to recall the events of the night before with a smile. He knew he would have a little trouble walking around that day but to him it was definitely worth it. Finally opening his eyes, he was immediately greeted with the sight of his sleeping roommate whose arms were currently wrapped around him, holding him close to his bare chest.

Roxas chuckled, watching how peaceful he looked as he slept. Unable to resist, he moved forward and placed a soft kiss on the sleeping man's lips. He pulled back and smiled as Axel groaned and began to wake up.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Roxas said softly as the redhead's eyes slowly opened. One of the hands around his waist pulled back to rest on his head, as if it was in pain.

"Ow…" he muttered, groaning again. Roxas chuckled again, shaking his head. Axel froze as his eyes met the bright blue ones in front of him.

"That's what you get for drinking so much last night," the blonde said with a smile. He was about to reach out and massage his head for him but stopped, frowning at the look Axel was giving him. He seemed to be in shock. "What's wrong, Axel?" The man broke out of his trance and looked down at where he was holding their naked bodies together, blushing furiously.

"R-Roxas," he whispered nervously. "What exactly happened last night?"

Silence.

Not a sound could be heard between the two.

Fearing the worst, Axel looked up from their bodies and into the eyes of his roommate. He froze again as he saw the devastated look in those beautiful blue orbs. He could almost feel the pain that was in them.

Roxas felt like he couldn't breathe. His world seemed to be crashing down around him. The most wonderful, amazing night of his life and it had all been a drunken mistake that couldn't even be remembered. He felt the tears well up in his eyes but he blinked them back, quickly pulling out of Axel's arms. He ignored the pain he felt from the movement, barely feeling it because of the pain in his chest.

"Roxas?" Axel spoke quietly, reaching out to him. Said boy moved further away, not even looking at him as he pulled on his boxers, gathered his clothes and headed out of the room. "Roxas, wait!" He was ignored again as the other limped out, slamming the door behind him with a bang. Axel winced, holding his head and groaning.

"Oh man, what have I done?" he said, sitting up and putting his face in his hands. His head throbbed painfully and all he wanted to do was lie back down but he couldn't do that. Dragging himself out of the bed, he sighed and somehow managed to pull on some clothes before heading out to find Roxas. Still groggy and unbalanced, he stumbled across the hall to the blonde's door.

Axel hesitated, hearing the soft sobbing coming from within. He almost backed away, afraid to even knock while he was in such a delicate state. But he knew that if he didn't set things straight now, it might ruin them forever. He took a deep breath, trying to relax before knocking lightly on the door.

"Rox?" he said softly, hearing a pause in the sobs. When he got no answer he tried to open the door but it was locked. "Please let me in. I need to talk to you." He heard shuffling from behind the door and for a second he though that it was going to be opened but suddenly something was slipped under the door at his feet. Bending down, he picked up the paper and saw that all it said was three words. 'NO. GO AWAY.'

"Rox," he whispered, crumpling up the note. It was childish but he knew better than to point that out when his friend was in such pain. Thinking over everything that had happened since he woke up, he couldn't believe how much of an idiot he had been! And now he had hurt Roxas, the person he cared about the most. "Rox, please. I'm so sorry about what I said. Just let me in and let me explain."

"Explain what?" said a soft voice from the other side of the door. "Explain how you were drunk and didn't know what you were doing? Explain how you didn't mean any of it at all?!" His voice rose higher and cracked as he spoke, making Axel wince in pain from his head and his heart.

"No! Roxas, it's not that at all!" He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. He could barely remember what had happened the night before and a few more bits of his memory were flashing in his brain, making his head spin even more. There was complete silence on the other side of the door and he knew that Roxas was waiting for him to speak again. "Rox, I... I'm not exactly sure what I said to you last night..." he heard a sob and shuffling as if he was moving away from the door and panicked. "Wait! Let me finish!" The shuffling stopped so he continued. "I was stupid to drink so much last night. I was just so nervous. You see... Demyx and I... we both made a promise. That at midnight at his party, we would tell the people we loved how we really felt. No backing down. I wish that I could go back and undrink those drinks and... well... I can't. But I love you, Roxas. And I'm so so sorry. Just... please open the door."

Axel held his breath as the silence made every second feel like an eternity. His pounding head was racing with depressing thoughts. Had he really screwed everything up? Would Roxas never forgive him? The seconds stretched into minutes and then into hours in his mind. Then, just as he was about to have a nervous breakdown, he heard a click and the door cracked open just enough to show a pair of bright watery eyes, red and puffy from crying. Starting to breathe again, Axel pushed the door open slowly to see the rest of his little blonde.

Turning his eyes down, Roxas let him open the door and pull him into a tight embrace as he whispered 'I love you' over and over into his ear. He was still upset but it felt so good just to be held like that, nice and snug in the arms of the man he loved. He felt his heart jolt each and every time the redhead spoke the words he most wanted to hear.

"This doesn't mean I've forgiven you," he whispered as Axel fell silent, holding him even tighter. Roxas sniffed and squirmed a bit so that he loosened his grip. "T-that was my first time. I'm still upset that I gave that to you and you don't even remember it." Axel pulled back and looked into his eyes, trying to think of what to say. He winced and held his head for a moment before looking back down at him.

"I know. I messed up big time and I can't undo it. But I will do my best to make up for it. I promise you won't regret it." He leaned down and kissed his Roxas softly and sweetly, pouring all of his love into the kiss before pulling back with a sad smile.

"You'd better," Roxas grumbled, blushing and looking away. Then he sighed and shook his head before he looked back at his new boyfriend in time to see him wince yet again. "You need to get something for that hangover." He started to walk out of the room only to be pulled back into Axel's embrace yet again.

"It's ok. I just need you right now," he whispered, burying his head in beautiful blonde locks and inhaling deeply. Roxas squirmed and giggled a bit, making Axel smirk.

"Stop that, Axel," Roxas said, trying to seem angry. It wasn't working. Axel's smirk just got wider as he turned his love around to face him. Seeing the evil glint in the redhead's eyes, Roxas shivered and said, "Don't even think about it."

"Whatever are you talking about, my dear Roxy," Axel murmured softly, leaning down. "I'm not thinking about anything at all." Roxas tried to glare but couldn't keep that up either as he was swept into another loving kiss. When they parted, Roxas was blushing again as he mumbled something about advil and walked out. Axel smiled and sighed, relieved beyond words that Roxas was coming around. He knew he wasn't totally forgiven yet but they would work it out with time. "I wonder how it went with Demyx," Axel mused before leaving the room to find his Roxas.

* * *

Oooooooo... VERY crazy chapter... I'm not sure if I like all of it but I think it came out alright. And next is Chapter 3 part 2! You get to find out what happened with DEMYX!!!!! Did he succeed or was he brutally rejected by the calm, cool Zexion? lol... and then in Chapter 4 we find out about how Sora is doing 3 years after his twin's disappearance! So review and tell me what you think! The more reviews, the faster I go! Of course I can't get anything out until the weekend at the earliest this week because of midterms. But it might take longer if I don't get some reviews! :)


	5. Chapter 4: Problems with Drinking 2

Hey! I'm REALLY REALLY sorry about how late this is! I've been having so much trouble finishing this because it's soooo long. And it has a lot of stuff in it so I wanted to get it right. I hope I did because I am so NOT redoing this looooooooong chapter. Hopefully the length makes up for the lateness? Oh well. Here we go!

Thanks go to **SaphireWhiteWolf**,** dancingwiththestars**, and** kingdomheartsforevs** for reviewing! Please keep it up, it keeps me going! Saph, thanks for the cookies! I wuv chocolate chip! OM NOM NOM! :3 and I got a 94 on my calc midterm WOOT WOOT! dancing, sorry about the slow updates :( Silly college takes up a lot of time. I didn't realize how unclear I was in the last chapter. I guess I just assumed that everyone would know. That was bad of me. Hopefully I'll be better in the next chapters. Roxas was the designated driver that night. ^_^ Now you get to find out what happened with Demyx and Zexion but first, you get to see how Axel and Roxas met! And thanks for the cookie! Never had white chocolate before... nummies... maybe if Axel is good he can have one next time hehehe. kingdom, lol I think it's funny how you kinda knew Axel was going to have a problem because he got too drunk. Oh well. Onto Demyx and Zexion!

Also, I decided to up the rating to M just because of a few things like language and slight smutt ;)

Warning: Mentions of men having sexual relations with each other. Slight smutt in this chapter. If you don't like it then stop reading and find a nice safe fic to read. XP

Disclaimer: I do NOT down Kingdom Hearts or any of it's characters.

* * *

Chapter 3.5

_A short time later..._

Axel relaxed, lying on the couch after having taken something for his hangover a few minutes before. It hadn't kicked in yet but just laying there was helping. Closing his eyes, he sighed as he heard Roxas moving around in the kitchen making their breakfast. He thought over the morning so far and let out another sigh, thinking it would be a while before things were settled again. It was going to be rocky for a time as he did his best to get the blonde to truly forgive him but he knew it would be worth it in the end.

As the meds kicked in, the dull pounding in his head went away and his thoughts went back to the beginning, back to the day that they had first met. Axel had been 20 at the time and Roxas was 16. Back then the band was still in Demyx's garage and struggling to get gigs. He had been on his way to one of his friend's gigs when he ran into the 16 year old, who had been too busy texting to see where he was going.

_-Flashback-_

"Oh, I'm sorry," the blonde boy muttered, not really looking at who he had bumped into. He seemed to be preoccupied with something and the redhead couldn't just let it slide by for some reason. The minute he saw Roxas, he became curious. There was just something about him that drew Axel in.

"You should be more careful, kid. You could get hit by a car or something walking around the way you are," he said, smiling down at the boy. This made Roxas look up, though it was only to glare at him.

"My name is Roxas, not kid," he said angrily, and then froze when he realized that he had just given his name to a total stranger. Shaking his head, he moved to pass by the redhead. "Whatever." Axel stopped him.

"Hey, sorry about that, Roxas. I didn't mean to make you angry." He smiled again and held out his hand. "I'm Axel, by the way. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" Roxas stared at the man for a moment like he was crazy before he sighed and shook the offered hand.

"Consider it _memorized_," he joked, rolling his eyes. Axel chuckled, deciding that he liked the kid. He had spirit and lately that seemed to be hard to find.

"Good," he said, letting go of the boy's hand. He looked like he was getting ready to leave again when Axel continued on. "Hey, I know you must have places to go, people to see, but if you're free later you should come to Club Dusk. My friend's band, XIII, is playing there at 8. They're really good and you look like you need a night to relax." He reached into his pocket and pulled something small and rectangular out. "Here. It's a VIP pass. With this you can just skip the line and go in. You can sit up in the balcony to watch."

"VIP?" Roxas mumbled, taking the pass. He glanced from the pass to Axel to the pass and back again. "I'll think about it." Suddenly his phone started ringing and he sighed before looking to see who was calling. Frowning, he looked over at the redhead and said, "Sorry, I've got to go." Axel nodded, understandingly.

"Yeah, sure. Hopefully I'll see you later," he said with a smile. The blonde nodded, shoving the pass in his pocket and heading away as he picked up his phone.

"Hey, Riku." Axel stood there and watched as Roxas walked away, talking to this Riku person on his cell phone. He didn't know what it was about the boy but for some reason, he really hoped that he came to the concert. At the thought of the concert, Axel checked his watch to see that it was almost 6 and he needed to get there as soon as he could. He was working with the stage crew to make the show big and he hoped that this would really help the band get out of the garage and into some bigger venues.

_3 hours later..._

"Hey Axel!"

Axel turned around, groaning, to face his older brother as he approached, smiling. Looking at them, one might think that the two were twins with all the similarities, their shocking red hair and bright green eyes being a couple of them. However, there were plenty of differences too. For one, the elder's hair was much longer and was pulled back into a ponytail that reached down to his lower back. Also, while Axel had two purple reversed teardrop tattoos under his eyes, his older brother had two red lines under the outside corner of his eyes.

"What do you want, Reno? In case you haven't realized, the show is still going on which means I'm still working. Just like you should be. Why are you back here and not out there like the rest of the security is?" Axel frowned at his brother in annoyance.

"Whoa, hold on, let me speak!" Reno said, smirking. "For your information, we have plenty of people out there and I needed a break so Rude said that he would cover for me." Axel opened his mouth to say something but Reno just continued on. "And I wanted to come back here to ask you what on earth compelled you to invite an underage boy to come here? You even gave him a VIP pass!" Axel shut his mouth and stared for a moment.

"Roxas came?" he asked, eyebrows shooting up. Though he had wanted the blonde to come, he had never really expected him to show up. Reno nodded, eyes questioning. Axel started blushing, just then realizing how it looked. "Aw, don't go making me out to be some kind of pedophile or something. I met him earlier and thought I'd give him the pass. That was it. It's not like I had any use for it. I'm working here!"

"Yeah, sure," Reno said, shaking his head. He smirked, loving the fact that he had something new to tease his brother with. "Well don't get excited and think he came for you or anything. The kid's just hiding out here. It seems that he's got some people after him. More kids his age tried to get in before and go after him but we didn't let them in since they were underage and didn't have a pass." Axel frowned again.

"Do you know why they were after him?" he asked. Reno just shrugged his shoulders.

"Who knows? I went to the kid and said that there were some friends of his outside asking for him and he just went all pale and said that they weren't friends and asked that I make sure that they didn't get in. Sounds bad if you ask me." He looked down at his watch and sighed. "Oh well, I have to get back to work now. And you should to. Aren't you supposed to be doing something right about now?" He laughed as Axel cursed and ran around backstage, getting back to his job.

_After the show..._

Almost everyone had left the club when Axel finally managed to get away from the backstage crew. They had him working hard whenever they could and he had barely gotten out of cleaning off the stage. Feeling more relaxed as he left the stage behind, he headed over to the balcony where he could see a small blonde straggler that looked reluctant to leave.

"Hey, Roxas! You came! So, what did you think of the band?" he asked, taking a seat next to the nervous-looking boy. Roxas gave him a small smile and then turned to look at the stage.

"I loved them. The music was really something else! I got so lost in the music that I forgot everything for a while," he said, sighing. Axel could see the fear and sadness in his beautiful blue eyes and he was shocked by how much it bothered him.

"Forget, huh?" the redhead said softly. "So what is it that you wanted to forget? Does it have anything to do with the kids that came looking for you earlier?" The blonde sat in silence for a few minutes before nodding and muttering a low 'yes.' "Do you want to talk about it? I may not be exactly what you need right now but I have 2 free ears and you seem to have a ton of stuff weighing down your shoulders. And don't worry, I'm not the type to blab so your secret is safe with me." Roxas looked over and seemed to study him for a while.

"You'll probably end up hating me after you know," he said warned, frowning. Axel just shook his head with a sigh.

"I'm not the type to hate someone I barely even know, got it memorized?" he said, tapping his temple with his index finger. "I'm a very open-minded person." The boy still looked skeptical but started to speak anyway.

"Would you still say that if I told you that I was gay?" he asked, looking like he was bracing himself for something. Axel hesitated for a moment, letting the words process. Then Roxas jumped, nearly falling off of his chair as the redhead did the last thing he had expected him to do. He laughed.

"That's it? And here I thought it was something horrible!" he said in between laughs. Roxas' face soon matched Axel's hair in color and he began glaring through his embarrassment.

"What do you mean, 'that's it'?" he growled, trying to get rid of his fierce blush. The redhead took a few deep breaths to calm down before looking Roxas in the eyes with a serious expression.

"I said 'that's it' because I was expecting something bad. Being gay isn't bad. It's who you are." Axel smiled understandingly. "I happen to be gay myself and so it my friend Demyx, who is the guitarist of the band. Oh, we're just friends though," he added when he saw the boys questioning expression. "So what's going on? There had to be more to this story then just you being gay."

"Yeah well, me being gay is the root of it all though," he said, rolling his eyes at Axel. "If I was normal like my brothers then none of this would've happened." Axel put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him there.

"Roxas, you are normal," he said, frowning. "I don't know what people have been telling you but there is nothing wrong with you. Stop putting yourself down like that." Looking away, Roxas went on as Axel let his hand drop back to his side.

"My parents don't like gays," he said quietly. "They say it's unnatural. My twin and my older brother are both straight as far as I know. None of them know about me." He paused but Axel didn't speak, knowing that this was only the beginning. "A while back, I found out that my twin's best friend, Riku, was also gay. We started going out not long after that. We had to sneak around and it was hard because Sora, my twin, was around him a lot. Recently, I realized that Riku was in love with Sora. It seems that he has been from the beginning but since he knew Sora was straight, he gave up but he couldn't stop loving him. So earlier today we got together and had a long talk. We decided to break up. It wasn't fair for either of us to go on with it the way it was." He stopped again, running a shaking hand through his hair.

"Did something happen after that?" Axel asked, sensing that the blonde was having trouble continuing. The boy nodded, glancing up at him just once before looking away again.

"There were some kids at school I never got along with nearby. I hadn't even known that they were there. Riku and I kissed goodbye and went our separate ways. I ran into them right after and they started right off with the names like 'fag' and 'queer.' They would've beaten me up too but I've always been a fast runner. I knew that they wouldn't go after Riku. Everyone knows not to mess with him. So I just ran until I was away from them. But then I kept running into them again so I came here, where they couldn't get in. But they're still waiting outside."

"You sure?" Axel asked, glancing towards the exit. "It's been a long time. I'd think they would be gone by now." He turned back to the blonde who was staring at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Axel sighed. "Look. Why don't I give you a ride home? That way they won't mess with you, ok?" Roxas shrugged, still not looking up.

"Maybe," he mumbled, feeling slightly uncomfortable. He was hesitant to get in a car with this man and tell him where he lived, considering that they had just met a few hours ago. He glanced up to see a pair of green eyes watching him with concern. Quickly looking away, he thought that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. The guy seemed nice enough, anyway. "Um, ok."

"Well then why don't we head out? I bet Demyx is already waiting for me," Axel said, standing up with a groan. "I have to give him a ride home too. He's the one who wrote all that music, you know. You should tell him how much you liked it. He doesn't believe me when I tell him that it's really good because we're so close." Roxas nodded, getting up as well and following the redhead down the stairs. They walked towards the exit where Demyx and Reno stood, talking.

"Hey, big bro," Reno said, spotting them as they approached. "Hey, blondie. Just so you know, I think those freaks are still outside." Roxas stiffened, both at the nickname and the info.

"Yeah, I figured," he muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Don't worry about it," Axel said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Roxas sighed and looked up at him. Demyx raised an eyebrow, confused at the whole thing.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking at the 3 of them. "Who's he?"

"This is Roxas," Axel said, letting his hand fall back to his side. "I'm giving him a ride home because he has some guys waiting to beat him up outside."

"Why do they want to beat him up?" he asked, frowning. Axel looked over at Roxas, who blushed and avoided all eye-contact with them.

"It's 'cause I'm gay," he said quietly. "They don't like gays at my school." Demyx's eyes got really wide and his jaw dropped.

"Those little—" He began, getting angry. Axel smiled and stopped him.

"Relax, Dem." The blonde musician frowned and put his arm around the boy.

"Ax and I went through the same thing when we were in school," he said, understandingly. "But it'll get better once you're out of high school. They're more accepting in college. Just hang on. And if you ever need us for any reason, just call." He pulled out a pen and a piece of paper from a bag that Roxas hadn't noticed before and wrote their numbers on it before giving it to him.

"Thanks," Roxas said, really surprised at how caring these people were. They were practically strangers and yet they were doing so much for him. "It means a lot." He put the paper in his pocket, wishing his family could be this understanding.

"Well, let's get going," Axel said, holding the door open for the two. Demyx smiled, grabbing his guitar, which had been leaning against the wall in its case, before almost skipping out the door. Roxas shook his head and followed, also smiling at the friendly blonde's display.

"Bye! Nice meeting you," Reno called out as Axel stepped out and let the door swing shut behind him.

"I really loved your music, Demyx," Roxas said as they walked, remembering what Axel had told him earlier. "It really swept me away. It was amazing." Demyx blushed, his eyes sparkling as he turned to the younger blonde.

"Really?" he asked, looking excited when Roxas nodded. "I've been working on those songs for a while. Well, mostly the lyrics for a while. The music itself comes naturally to me but I have a problem writing the lyrics."

"Hm, the lyrics were good but the music itself was my favorite part. You know, you could always look for a partner to work with," Roxas suggested. "Someone who is really good with lyrics. A lot of people need lyricists to help them with their music." Demyx stopped walking and crossed his arms, deep in thought.

"Dem?" Axel said, stopping a few steps ahead of him. Roxas stopped too, wondering if he had said something wrong.

"Hmm, that's not a bad idea," Demyx said after a while, a smile slowly lighting up his face. Grinning widely, he turned to the short blonde and hugged him. "You're a genius!" Roxas blushed and muttered unintelligibly, trying to extract himself from the musician's embrace before he lost all feeling in his lower body.

Just then, a loud shout startled them, making Demyx jump back in surprise as they all looked towards the alleyway next to the club. Seconds later a boy came flying out, landing on his behind with a groan. The boy wore a blue crop-top vest with white lining underneath a sleeveless floor-length white jacket, showing off his muscles. He also wore a black beanie over his short blonde hair and a pair of baggy aubergine colored pants tucked into his black combat boots.

"Seifer!" Another boy came running out of the alley after him, closely followed by a girl about the same age. This boy was taller than the other one and even more muscular. He had very tan skin and short black hair with long sideburns. He wore a tight-fitting orange tank and black baggy pants that half covered his wide white and yellow shoes. He also wore blue and white wrist bands on each arm and a silver lightning bolt necklace around his neck. The girl was much shorter than the boys with chin-length pale blue hair that covered her left eye. She wore a sleeveless, high-collar jacket zipped up all the way, a pair of baggy capri pants with large pockets, and some bulky croc-like shoes that matched her hair. The two helped the boy up before turning to glare into the alleyway.

"Fag!" yelled the tan boy. "Seifer's not feeling so hot, y'know!"

"Tired," the girl said, stepping in front of Seifer to block him from whoever was in the alley. Another boy walked out of the alleyway and stopped in front of them, glaring.

"Well if he's 'not feeling so hot' then he should go back to his mommy where he belongs," the boy said, crossing his arms over his chest. The boy was as tall as Rai and as muscular as Seifer with pale skin and silver hair that went slightly past his shoulders. He wore a black zip-up tank-top and a white and yellow vest over it, a pair of baggy blue denim jeans, and on his feet he wore a simple pair of grey sneakers.

"Don't think this is over, freak. C'mon, Rai, Fuu," Seifer said, turning to leave with the help of his friends. Roxas watched all of this in shock before turning to the boy who was standing in front of the alleyway, watching the others leave.

"Riku?" he said, stepping forward. The silver-haired boy stiffened and then turned to face Roxas.

"Sorry, Roxas," he said, uncrossing his arms. "I heard from Hayner that they were after you for some reason. It's my fault they found out, isn't it?"

"It's okay," the blonde said, shrugging. They fell silent so Axel and Demyx took this moment to step forward.

"Well as nice as all this is, we really need to get going," Axel said, stepping up next to Roxas. "You still need a ride, Roxy?"

"Roxy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked up at the redhead. He wasn't sure if he really liked the girlish nickname. Axel just smiled and shrugged, looking over to see Demyx approaching Riku.

"Hey, I'm Demyx," he said enthusiastically, holding out a hand for the boy to shake. He smiled as it was accepted and shook his hand fervently.

"Riku," the silver-haired boy mumbled. "I'm Roxas' boyfr-I mean ex-boyfriend." He looked away, turning red, as he corrected his mistake. Demyx let go of his hand and frowned.

"Aw, you guys broke up?" he said, looking back and forth between them. The two boys were blushing, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the topic. Axel sighed.

"Dem, stop being nosy," he said, going over and pulling his friend away from Riku. "The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" Roxas rolled his eyes, wondering if he said that to everyone he met. Riku just nodded slowly, a weird look on his face. As the redhead continued to pull his friend away, the boy relaxed a bit before going over to Roxas.

"I should take you home," he said, not looking the blonde in the eye. "It's the least I could do."

"Ok. Just give me one second." He walked over to his two new friends to find Demyx pouting at Axel who just shook his head no.

"But-!"

"NO."

"Um, Axel?" Roxas said, wondering exactly what he was interrupting. The redhead happily turned away from his friend to look at the boy.

"Yeah, Roxy? You ready to go?" he asked.

"About that. Riku said he would take me home." Axel nodded understandingly. "But thanks for everything. Maybe I'll see you guys at another show of yours?"

"Definitely!" Demyx yelled, jumping in from behind Axel. The other two just laughed before they all said there goodbyes and the young blonde went off with Riku. The redhead watched as they got on the silver-haired boy's motorcycle and took off, hoping that he would see Roxas again soon.

_-Flashback End-_

As it had happened, Axel did see the blonde again soon after that and constantly throughout that whole year before he ran away and joined with the crew. A lot of things had gone down in that year and Roxas had jumped at the chance of coming along with the band who had finally made it big and was about to go on their first tour back then. He had always wanted to work with make-up and clothes, something his parents had been fully against, and so he was thrilled when he became the assistant to the band's outfitter. He was even happier when the man suddenly quit in the middle of a tour and he was promoted. Axel smiled, remembering how excited the blonde had been at the time.

Just as he was thinking this, the doorbell rang. Groaning, Axel pushed himself up off the couch and dragged his feet all the way to the door. The doorbell rang again before he made it there and he grumbled, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Geez, hold on a minute!" He reached the door and yanked it open, about to complain to the person but his voice died in his throat.

Demyx stood in the doorway looking like the very picture of rejection. His eyes were red, puffy, and dejected, his face pale and tear-stained, and his shoulders slumped down further then the redhead had ever seen them. Truthfully, Axel wasn't sure if he had ever seen the musician this upset before and he had known him a long time. Demyx was always the happy, optimistic one. The kind of guy you rarely ever even saw frowning, let alone crying.

"H-Hey, Ax," he greeted in a low voice. It was rough and sounded like it could crack any minute, just like the one who spoke with it. "Can... can I hang with you for a while?" Axel felt his heart ache when his friend's eyes met his, the blue orbs bright and desperate for some comfort. He could never even think of refusing him when he was in so much pain.

"Of course, Dem, come in," he said once he got his voice back. He moved aside, watching the blonde pass by, dragging his feet like Axel had only a few moments ago. Closing the door, he followed Demyx into the living room and sat down next to him. He put an arm around his friend's shoulders and pulled him closer, trying to comfort him in any way he could. Demyx leaned into him with a sigh, glad that his best friend knew what he needed without having to say anything.

"Axel, who was at the d—" Roxas cut himself off as he came into the room with 2 plates in his hand. He gasped as he saw the state that Demyx was in, shocked and scared for his friend. Unlike Axel, he didn't know the musician as well so he had never seen the man as anything less than happy. He was about to ask what had happened when he caught the slight shake of Axel's head, telling him not to ask. Trusting the redhead's judgment, he walked forward and placed the 2 plates down in front of the men on the couch.

"Hey, Demyx. I just made breakfast. Luckily, I made enough for 3. Why don't you eat with us?" He spoke gently, afraid to set him off. He looked like he could start crying again any second. The older blonde just nodded, staring down at the food for a moment before slowly reaching for it.

"Thanks," he whispered. "I forgot to eat before I left." Roxas gave him a small smile before going back into the kitchen and putting the rest of the food on another plate for himself. When he came back, Demyx and Axel were both sitting there, eating silently. Roxas sat in the ottoman adjacent to the couch before beginning to eat himself. He watched the other blonde cautiously, still not understanding what could have caused the normally hyper man to become so heartbroken.

All of a sudden, that thought reminded him of what Axel had said earlier that morning. They had made a promise at the party. A promise to tell the ones they loved how they felt. That could only mean that Demyx... had been rejected. His heart hurt for his friend, knowing that he could only be feeling the pain that he had felt only that morning, thinking that Axel didn't really care for him.

Finished with his food, Demyx put his plate down on the table and glanced at his 2 friends. Roxas took that moment to get up and collect the empty plates, heading for the kitchen. Seeing the younger blonde limp slightly, he turned to Axel and attempted to smile. It was very shaky and didn't last very long.

"Congrats," he said, shakily. Roxas came back a second later to hear the rest of it. "I-I hope you two... you two..." He seemed to have trouble finishing his sentence, so Axel just shook his head and rubbed his back, comfortingly.

"You don't have to say anything," he said softly. Demyx just looked away, his eyes filling with tears.

"Yes, I do." He looked at them again and then stood up. "I should go. I'm in your way. New couples need to have their alone time." His voice cracked at the very end as he turned and started to leave. Axel jumped up and stopped him before he even got close to the door.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" He pulled his friend back and made him sit on the couch again. He kneeled down in front of Demyx and made him look into his eyes. "Roxas and I will have plenty of time to ourselves later. Right now, we're here for you so don't worry about it. It'll be ok." Roxas came over and sat next to Demyx, pulling him into a hug as he started crying. Axel carefully moved them over and sat next to them, joining in on the hug as Demyx started to sob loudly. So the 3 of them stayed like that for a long time, all squished together on a couch made for 2.

At some point when Demyx was crying, Roxas managed to escape the hug, leaving him to Axel as he went to the kitchen to make them some tea. By the time he came back. Demyx had calmed down to little sniffles instead of sobs. A few minutes later he had enough control of himself to let go of Axel and take his tea. He mumbled a low thank you and sipped it, closing his eyes with a sigh. Axel and Roxas began drinking their own tea as well, watching their friend sadly as he gripped the cup tightly as if trying to absorb it's warmth. They sat there in silence for another few minutes until Axel broke the silence.

"Hey Demyx," he said gently. The musician opened his eyes and looked at the redhead calmly. "I know that you're really hurting right now but... why don't you tell us what happened? I thought you'd be upset if this happened but I never thought it would be this extreme. What exactly did he say to you?" Axel had been thinking about it this whole time and he knew that something bad must have gone down with how hurt Demyx was. And if his suspicions were right, and Zexion had said something to really hurt his friend, he would personally go and kick his ass.

"Well..." Demyx began, looking down at his tea. He was a lot calmer now that he had let it all out. The tea was probably helping too. "You know I went looking for him around midnight. I found him talking with Lexaeus and Vexen in the hall. I asked him if I could talk to him alone and then we went to my room." He stopped there and didn't go on. Axel put his hand on his friend's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze to show his support. "I... I told him that I loved him. I told him that I loved him more than anyone I had ever known." He stopped again, taking a shaky breath.

"What did he say?" Axel asked after it looked like he wouldn't go on. He could feel his anger building at the cold-hearted man who had rejected his friend. He knew for a fact that Zexion liked men, so he didn't understand why this had happened. Did the man think that his friend wasn't good enough? The least he could've done was let him down gently! The redhead took a deep breath and a sip of his tea, calming himself down before Demyx could see his anger.

"He didn't believe me," came the soft whisper after a few more minutes. "He said that I was too drunk to know what I was saying. I told him that I knew exactly what I was saying. I tried to prove it to him. I tried to kiss him. He pushed me away. He went to my drawers and took out a pair of pajamas and handed them to me, saying I should go to sleep. He said that he would take care of everyone else so that I could rest. Then he left... he just left. He didn't believe me."

Axel stared at him in shock. That was the last thing that he had expected to hear. So he hadn't even been rejected! Shaking his head, he pulled Demyx closer to him. He was still muttering about how Zexion didn't believe him, still upset about it.

"Demyx," Axel said, snapping him out of his dazed chant. "Don't you see? It's not over! He didn't reject you! He just thought that you were too drunk. Try again while you're sober. You might get a better reaction!" Demyx shook his head, looking down at his half-empty cup, which was now cold. He set it down on the table with shaking hands.

"You didn't see how he acted last night, Ax," he whispered, closing his eyes. "He didn't even seem to care about what I said to him. And when he pushed me away... well, let's just say he didn't look very happy." The redhead opened his mouth to say more but stopped when he realized that it would do no good. Sighing, he looked over at Roxas, who had been very silent this whole time, only to see him watching Demyx like he was plotting something. Curious, he caught his love's gaze and raised an eyebrow in question. All he got in return was a smirk before the blonde stood up and left the room.

"I'll be right back," Axel said to Demyx, who just nodded, not looking up from the floor. He sat there for another moment before he stood up and followed Roxas out. He found the blonde in the kitchen, typing away on his cell phone. Curious, the redhead peaked over his shoulder to see what he was doing.

"What are do you think you're doing? Don't send that!" Axel whispered, trying to grab the phone from his lover's hands. But Roxas just sidestepped his attempt, having already guessed what the man's reaction would be. "Demyx needs some time to calm down. Don't invite him over here!" Roxas sighed and paused in his typing.

"Axel, you're not thinking this through," he said softly. "This is not unlike what happened with us earlier this morning. Demyx is like I was, upset and heartbroken. But I had you to come and set things straight before anything got too bad. Now think what would've happened if you hadn't been able to do set things right. Think about what would've happened if you didn't even know about it. Zexion and Demyx need to work this out now, not later. It'll be much less painful." He started typing on his phone again. "Besides, I just got a text from Xaldin. It seems that Zexion is looking for him. They were supposed to be working on some of the new songs today."

Axel watched Roxas type and send a text to Zexion, thinking about what he would've done if things hadn't been set right. Suddenly, he found himself going over to the blonde and pulling him into his arms, not wanting to let him go. He felt the other tense in surprise before he relaxed and moved his arms around his waist. The redhead let out a shaky breath he had no idea he had even been holding.

"Roxas," he whispered, gripping him tighter. "I don't know what I would've done if this had ruined us." He lowered his face into the soft blonde hair below him, inhaling the scent of the one he loved. "I love you, Rox."

"I love you too, Axel," Roxas said, pulling back slightly to look into those bright green eyes of Axel's. "And I forgive you for what happened earlier. But," he continued with a smirk. "That doesn't mean that I won't be punishing you later." Axel chuckled and leaned down to take the lips of his beautiful blue-eyed angel.

"Of course," he said once they had separated. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "Wow. That was fast." Roxas shuddered.

"Zexion drives like a madman sometimes," he said, heading to the door. "It's so scary how calm he looks as he is doing it too. Like he is driving normally and we aren't speeding down the street at 95 mph." He reached the door and pulled it open. "Hey Zex-"

"Where is he?" Roxas stepped back, a shiver running down his spine at Zexion's tone. He had never seen the man lose his calm at all. Now, seeing the undisguised fury in his visible blue eye, he was beginning to doubt his choice in calling him over.

"Zexion, you need to calm down," Axel said, putting a hand on Roxas' shoulder. The blonde reached up and put his hand over Axel's, silently thanking him for the support against the furious man in front of him. "Demyx is in the next room but he is upset right now so-" He didn't even get to finish his sentence before Zexion pushed his way passed the two and walked into the next room.

"Wait!" Roxas tried to stop him but it was too late. He stood in the doorway behind the bluish-grey haired man who had hesitated just inside the room. Peering around him, he saw Demyx sitting there with wide eyes and tear-stained cheeks. After a few moments of silence, Zexion got over the shock of seeing his normally happy friend in tears. He walked over to the couch and sat next to the musician with a sigh. He seemed slightly calmer than before.

"So do you mind telling me why I've had to spend the last two hours looking for you?" he asked with a hunt of anger under the surface. Axel pulled Roxas back out of the doorway, leaving the two alone in the room. "Well?" Demyx was silent. He was staring at the floor, unable to look at the man sitting beside him. He was afraid to speak, afraid of humiliating himself even more in front of Zexion.

"Demyx, you of all people know how important this is! What is going on with you?" Zexion was fed up with waiting for his friend to speak. After searching for him for hours, he was very short on patience. "We need to work on the lyrics today so that the band can start rehearsing as soon as possible and then book studio time to start recording."

"I know," muttered the blonde, still looking away. Growling, the lyricist grabbed his chin and forced Demyx to look up at him. Seeing the pain in his eyes nearly made the man falter but he quickly pushed that aside and kept a firm grip on him.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"N-No."

"Tell me. NOW."

"No!"

"Demyx..." Zexion grumbled, squeezing tighter. Demyx winced and tried to get him off.

"Ouch! Zexion, that hurts!"

"I'll let go if you tell me." His grip tightened.

"Ow ow ow! OW!"

"It doesn't need to be this hard, Demyx."

"OW! FUCK! Stop hurting me! It's your fault in the first place!" Zexion let go of the musician, shocked.

"My... fault? Why is this my fault?" he asked, watching as the blonde rubbed his chin, whimpering. They were both silent for a few minutes before Demyx spoke.

"Last night I finally gathered up the courage to tell you how I feel and you didn't even take me seriously," he said quietly, looking away again. "I just want some time without you around to get myself together. I'm sorry I bothered you so much."

Silence. Complete silence followed his words. He couldn't even look up, afraid that he would see disgust on Zexion's face.

"You... idiot." He cringed at the anger he could hear in those words. He quickly got up, intending to leave without even looking at the other.

"I'll just go then," he said, his voice cracking slightly as he moved towards the door. Suddenly, a hand gripped his wrist and he was forcefully pulled down on top of Zexion, who pulled him in and covered his lips with his own. Demyx, not realizing what was going on, was thinking how strong the smaller man was before it all processed. Zexion was... kissing him. He felt the shorter man's hands pulling him closer and soon found himself straddling the man, their lips still connected. A moment later, Zexion pulled back and frowned.

"Last night, I was doing my best to hold myself back and not take advantage of you while you were inebriated. Now that I know that your feelings are genuine, I cannot stop myself." And with that, he flipped them over so that Demyx was lying on the couch underneath him before he kissed him again, wasting no time in thrusting his tongue into the other's mouth. The musician responded eagerly, his heart beating so hard he thought it would break out of his chest. He couldn't believe that this was happening. He felt a pair of cold hands sneak up his shirt and shivered as they made their way north.

"Hell no! No way are you two having sex on our couch!" They broke apart to see Roxas and Axel standing in the doorway, the blonde looking horrified while the redhead just smirked.

"Yeah! We haven't even done it there yet!" Roxas turned bright red before hitting Axel in the arm. Demyx, who was also blushing furiously, pushed on Zexion's chest, telling him to get off. He obliged, pulling the blonde up with him so that they were standing in front of the couch, hand in hand.

"Sorry, we just got caught up in the moment," Zexion said, trying to hide the slight blush that he had on his face. "We should go now. We have a lot to get done today." He started pulling Demyx to the door. Roxas and Axel stepped out of the way.

"I can see that," Axel said suggestively, smirking again. The blushing got worse and Roxas hit him again. "Ow! Roxy, I thought you were going to 'punish' me later." Roxas got even redder, if that was even possible.

"Axel..." he grumbled, clenching his fists.

"Ok, well we're going now, so goodbye! Thanks for everything!" Demyx waved smiling as Zexion nodded to them and pulled him out the door. Roxas relaxed a bit, happy to see his friend smiling again. He tensed up again right after though, when he felt a pair of strong arms pull him back against a warm body.

"So... alone again," Axel purred, nuzzling his head into Roxas' hair. Roxas rolled his eyes but relaxed into his lover's arms, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

"Don't get any ideas," he warned and was rewarded with a whine from behind him. He sighed. "I'm just glad all the drama is over."

"Yeah, me too, Rox. Me too."

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Whew... that was sooooo long. Hopefully you liked it ^_^ That's the longest chapter I ever wrote! Now please review and tell me what you thought! I always thank and respond in my next chapters so please review! Next chapter we take a trip to see how Sora is doing! XD YAY!


	6. Chapter 5: Sora

It's been MONTHS... I know... I'm sorry. In those months I finished my freshman year of college, moved into a new place, moved my sister into a new place, and had a little bit of a breakdown. Still, I could've updated this earlier. This chapter has been 3/4 done for most of those months. I just finished it last night. Oh well. If my readers haven't all abandoned me then you guys are awesome ^_^ I don't deserve you.

Btw someone had complained about Reno being the younger brother and now that I think about it, I don't really like that so I changed it. Reno is now the older brother. It's been so long so I'm just going to thank all my reviewers, you know who you are. I don't really think I'll be responding to reviews until I get the next chapter out so if you want a reply then you'll have to review to this chapter.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any of the Kingdom Hearts characters, blah, blah, blah.

YAY! Now let's see what is happening with SORA!

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**Chapter 4**

_Rubbing his eyes to clear them, a blonde figure turned and sprinted down the street, willing himself not to cry. He didn't notice the pair of heartbroken blue eyes, identical to his own, that watched him as he disappeared around a corner._

"_Why, Roxas?"_

_Sora fell to his knees, watching the spot where his twin had been only moments before. He wanted to believe that he would run back around the corner and come back to him but he knew it wouldn't happen. Roxas was gone. He had left without so much as a word. Suddenly, Sora felt like the darkness was closing in on him. He looked around, seeing shadowy figures creeping closer and closer. He suddenly felt very vulnerable without his other half beside him._

"_Roxas..." he whispered as they came closer. "Roxas." And closer still. "Roxas." They were so close now. "Roxas." They were only an arms length away. "Roxas!" He could feel their cold fingers on him, shaking him. "ROXAS!"_

Sora shot up in bed, looking around wildly. The cold fingers were real and they were shaking him. His mind was still half in the nightmare and he tried to get free from the hands. He looked up into a pair of worried brown eyes and his clouded brain started to clear.

"Calm down, Sora. It's ok. Just calm down."

"Hayner?" He sighed and relaxed, realizing that it was just his roommate. Hayner let him go, seeing that he was awake again.

"Of course, who else would it be?" he said, chuckling. Then he stopped and frowned, asking, "You have a nightmare about that night again? You were calling for him." Sora nodded, lying back down on his bed.

"Sorry, Hayner. I didn't mean to wake you up," he said, flinging an arm over his eyes. "I just wish I knew if he's ok. It's been 3 years. If he's still alive he could at least let his own family know!" Hayner sighed, nodding.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. He was my best bud growing up. I know that's nothing compared to being his twin but I still worry about him too." Sora peaked out from underneath his arm and gave the blonde a sad smile. The brown-eyed boy returned it before turning to walk to his own bed. "Try to get some sleep now, Sora. It's only 5:30 in the morning on a Saturday. We should be sleeping in!" Sora chuckled and watched his roommate get comfortable in his own bed. It took the blonde all of 10 seconds to fall asleep. The brunette envied him, knowing that he wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon.

Staring up at the ceiling, he thought over how the past 3 years had been since his twin left. It had been 3 years of nightmares and worrying for him. Roxas had left a short note for their parents, apologizing and telling them not to look for him. Sora had been too hurt to do anything but Cloud had totally ignored the note and went looking for him. Of course, having no clue where his little brother would go, he never found a thing. When the twins' 18th birthday rolled around, Sora refused to take part in any of the plans he and Roxas had made when Roxas had still been with them. It was still too painful for him. The person he had been closest to, his own twin, had just left him without a backward glance. It was the same each passing birthday since then. He couldn't seem to celebrate, remembering all the previous ones he had spent with his twin.

Heaving a sigh, Sora sat up and grabbed his laptop from his bedside table. He needed something to keep his thoughts from going down that path for the millionth time. Quietly turning it on, he remembered that he had a research essay due in a few days but he put it off, trying to think of something else he could do. Acting out of habit, he logged onto his email account, muting it before the familiar greeting 'You've Got Mail' could wake up Hayner. He glanced through his mail, deleting spam as he went, before his eyes came to rest on a familiar address that had him smiling. The brunette quickly opened the email, wondering how long it had been since he had heard from Cloud. It felt like forever since he had left to join the army reserves in Midgar, training to become a soldier alongside his best friend Leon. He was always so busy that he rarely ever had time to send letters or emails but he did when he could, wanting to let his family know that he was still alive and kicking.

_Dear Sora,_

_Sorry it's been so long since I've last written. They're working us to the bone over here. The only time I really get to myself is usually when I get to sleep. I don't mind too much though. It feels good to work hard everyday. Well if you haven't guessed, this is a free day for me so I decided to start by sending some emails. I already sent one to mom and dad. Oh and Zack says hi. It's a free day for everyone in our troop so he's right next to me being a bother._

_Well we're doing fine here. The only thing new right now seems to be the new Commander that just came in to replace Genesis. His name is Sephiroth. You know your friend Riku? I wouldn't be surprised if they're related. They look so much alike. He has the same hair and eye color as him. But this guy is taller and his hair is extremely long. I was hoping that he would be a little easy going like our first Commander, Angeal, but he's the complete opposite. I never thought I'd say this but I wish Genesis hadn't left._

_I know I must sound like I'm whining but you wouldn't understand unless you met the man. He's the most intimidating man I've ever met in my life. Zack is sitting here badmouthing him right now. He can't stand him at all. The man has been taking a special interest in my training for some strange reason and Zack always seems to have a knack for getting on his bad side. I just hope that he finds a new trainee to take an interest in soon. As much as I like to train, I'd rather do it without him there all the time._

_There isn't much else to say. So how is college going? You're still at Traverse University, right? Have you changed your major or do you still want to teach elementary school kids? I don't think I'd be able to deal with so many little kids day after day like that. Of course you're so much like a little kid yourself, it's only natural for you to go back there. Oh, don't yell at me, I'm only joking. Well I hope everything is going well for you. Hurry up and answer back today or tomorrow, they are my only free days for a while. Miss you and hope to hear from you soon._

_Your older brother,_

_Cloud_

_P.S. Has there been any news on Roxas?_

Sora shook his head at the email, hearing Cloud's voice in his head as he read it. He could just picture Cloud and Zack sitting in front of the computer, his brother attempting to write while Zack kept getting in the way. It had probably taken him a while to write out that long email. He finished reading and frowned slightly, knowing that his brother would ask about Roxas again. He asked every time without fail. Opening up a new email, he began his reply.

_Hey Cloud!_

_It's nice to hear from you. I was starting to think that you'd forgotten about me. Jk... I knew you'd probably been busy. Tell Zack I say hi back! And tell him I said to stay out of trouble! XP I'm pretty sure that Sephiroth is related to Riku. I remember meeting an uncle of his back when we were in middle school that fit that description. I couldn't remember the name but I think that it was Sephiroth. I only met him that once since Riku didn't like him so we spent our time avoiding him when he was visiting lol. I'll ask Riku about it anyway. Maybe he'll know why he has been taking such an interest in your training. Sounds kinda creepy... he's not gay, right? That'd be weird. Hopefully he'll just leave you alone soon._

_Well getting off that subject, I'm doing fine. College is stressful like usual. There is lots of work to be done. Yeah, I'm still at Traverse and I haven't changed my major. And I am NOT a little kid! You're so mean, Cloud. :( I just like teaching kids. I don't make fun of you for wanting to be a soldier. I hope you're enjoying your free days! You deserve some time off from all that hard training! Well that's it for now. Hopefully we'll see each other before Christmas or something. That's too far away! Do you know when you have time off next? Maybe I could find a way to visit you! ^_^ It would be awesome! Miss you and love you too!_

_Love,_

_Sora_

_P.S. No news on Roxas._

Feeling content with his reply, Sora clicked send and went back to his unread mail. Most of them were either spam or something about an event happening on campus. He was about to just delete them all when he noticed another familiar email address in the bunch. It was from his girlfriend, Kairi. Being close childhood friends, Sora hadn't even thought of her as a potential girlfriend until senior year when she had confessed. He had quickly gotten over his shock, realizing for the first time just how pretty she was and how much he liked her. Thinking back on that last year of high school, he smiled and wondered how he would've gotten through without her. He had so much trouble in school and at home after Roxas had left so she had helped him through it all. She helped fill the void that his brother had left just a little bit. Sadly, she ended up going to Twilight University, which was 4 hours away from Traverse. So they had promised to keep in touch and visit if they could. He was a little surprised that she sent an email instead of calling but he guessed that she had her reasons.

Sora paused just once on his way to open it, seeing that the subject was a long line of exclamation points. Curious, he quickly opened it up to see that it was all in caps.

_OMG! SORA! YOU ARE NOT GONNA BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED! OLETTE WON THE CONTEST TO GO HANG OUT WITH THE BAND XIII FOR A DAY! AND SHE GETS TO TAKE 5 FRIENDS! SO IT'S GOING TO BE OLETTE, ME, YOU, RIKU, HAYNER, AND PENCE! ISN'T IT SO EXCITING! I CAN'T WAIT! WE GET TO HANG OUT WITH THEM ALL DAY NEXT SATURDAY BEFORE THEIR NEXT CONCERT ON THE ISLANDS! IT'S BACK HOME! YAY! I WANTED TO CALL YOU WHEN WE GOT THE NEWS BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO WAKE YOU SO I SENT THIS EMAIL AND I'LL CALL YOU IN THE MORNING! I LOVE YOU!_

_KAIRI_

Sora stared at the computer for a full 5 minutes before it all processed. Kairi had been going on and on for the last week about this contest. She was obsessed with the band XIII and would stop at nothing to see them. Her roommate and their old friend, Olette, was the same so they had both entered the contest, promising that if one of them won then they would bring the other. Sora had never seen their dorm room in person but from the video chats they had he could see the many XIII posters they had covering every wall space available. Riku, his best friend, and Pence, another close friend and Olette's boyfriend, also attended Twilight University but always complained about the girls' room, saying that it was like a creepy stalkerish shrine to the band. Kairi had gotten most of them from her older cousin, Namine, who did all the advertising for the band. She was the one in charge of designing the posters so she got them for Kairi when they were made.

One thing Kairi really liked about the band was that they originated in their hometown. Sora had never really gotten into them because they became famous around the time that Roxas disappeared. And for some reason every time he saw their posters he was reminded of his twin. He had learned to ignore the depressing thoughts because Kairi liked them so much but he didn't know how it would be to actually meet them. He had a really bad feeling about it. Sighing, he logged out without replying and closed his computer. He knew he would go anyway, he just hoped that it would all turn out okay.

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Meh... I didn't really like how I ended this chapter. Whatever. Please Review! I will reply next time if you do! Also, check out my new story The Second Born. It is also an AkuRoku story that I wrote a long time ago so I thought I'd put it out for AkuRoku day! XD HAPPY BELATED AKUROKU DAY!


	7. Chapter 6: Uneasy Feelings

Okay! New Chapter! FINALLY! I had a little trouble with the end and plus, I'm busy with college stuff. (Chemistry SUCKS. Don't take it if you don't have to) I'd like to thank **bbb136**, **VampireMangaYaoiFreak**, **Strapped-In-A-Strait-Jacket**, **NormaJean Beausoleil**, **iKaffee**, and **Timeless Moment** for reviewing!

**bbb136**- you're welcome. ^_^ I know I'm usually late :( but I can't help it. **VMYF**-I know :( I wish I could write more and faster but I'm having lots of problems. Maybe once I get more settled back in college, I'll be able to. **S-I-A-S-J**-THANK YOU! Your review made me very happy! AND YAY GIR QUOTE! 3 **NJ B**- YAY! Thanks! OM NOM NOM COOKIES! **iKaffee**- Yeah you are not the first person to complain about the centering so I will stop that from now on. ^_^ **TM**- Yep! BIG SURPRISE IN STORE! But not this chapter. It will be in one of the next 2 or 3 chapters. Depends how long the chapters turn out to be. 'Cause sometimes I plan for something to be in a chapter but it turns into this long monstrosity that I need to split into 3 chapters O_O

**Disclaimer**: I don't own KH or any of it's characters or and FF characters either.

Warnings: blah blah Yaoi, etc. You should know what's in this story by now.

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**Chapter 5**

"Roxas, calm down."

Axel put his arm around the hyperventilating boy in an effort to comfort him. He had been freaking out for the last hour since Saix had told the crew of the little hometown visit Xemnas had planned for them. He had called a meeting early that morning to tell everyone that the arrangements were already made and that everyone had better get packing. Now they were back at their apartment where Roxas had proceeded to break down.

"I can't calm down, Axel! I haven't been back there for years! What if I run into someone I know?" He shrugged off the arm and started pacing again. After taking a few turns, he stopped and gave Axel a horrified look. "What if I run into my parents?"

Axel sighed and sat down heavily on the nearest chair. He ran a hand through his hair before looking up into the desperate eyes of his lover. Giving a small smile, he held out his arms invitingly in hopes that Roxas would finally let himself be comforted. The blonde hesitated for only a moment before trudging pitifully into Axel's arms, letting himself be pulled down to sit on his lap.

"You worry too much," Axel whispered, pulling Roxas as close to him as possible. He wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist and leaned forward to give him a peck on the lips. When he pulled back, he saw the lingering worry and panic in Roxas' eyes and sighed. "Roooooooxaaasssss. What am I going to do with you?" Said boy buried his head into Axel's shoulder and groaned.

"Why did Xemnas suddenly decide for us to go to the band's hometown? He never made a big deal of it before!" Roxas grumbled, burying his head deeper into the shoulder. Axel rubbed his back soothingly, hoping to calm the boy down.

"It's publicity. The whole 'we won't forget where we came from' thing is popular with the fans." He stopped rubbing and pushed Roxas away from his shoulder so that he could look him in the eyes. Axel almost swore he could see tears forming but as he blinked, they were gone. "It's not like we'll be in public sight that much anyway. We'll be hiding backstage, safe and sound." Another peck on the lips. "Relax, Rox. It'll be fine."

Roxas didn't say anything, he just hid in the redhead's shoulder again, a horrible feeling settling in his stomach as he thought about the trip. He just knew something bad was going to happen.

-_Sora_-

"_Why don't you just tell her you don't want to go?_"

Sora sighed and laid back on his bed, clutching the phone close to his ear. He was supposed to be talking to Kairi right now but he had called Riku first. He just couldn't banish that sinking feeling he got whenever he thought of seeing the band back home. So he had called his best friend, hoping that he could help him get rid of it.

"But it's so important to her. I have to go!" He whined, wishing he could just stay at school instead.

"_So just tell her what you told me. I'm sure she'll understand how you feel. If it reminds you of Roxas so much then just explain it to her. Maybe then she won't shove it in your face all the time._" Sora listened quietly, the sinking feeling was back again. It just kept getting worse and worse.

"I can't, Riku. I just... I don't think I can tell her stuff like I can tell you." He stopped talking when he heard a weird sound on the phone. "Riku! Are you ok?"

"_I-I'm fine, Sor._" There was silence for a few minutes before Sora continued.

"I know she is my girlfriend and I've known her most of my life but... you're my best friend. There are some things that I can talk to you about but when I try to talk to her about them... I just can't!" It was silent again. "R-Riku? Are you still there?"

"_Yeah, I'm here._" He sounded strange to Sora but he just let it slide. "_Well, I know you don't like lying but if you really can't think of anything else then maybe you should tell her that you have something important for school that you can't get out of._"

"She knows that I'm free already. We were going to meet up that weekend even if she didn't win... I never thought that either of them would win." He groaned and rolled over to his side, staring at the wall in despair. He heard Riku sigh on the other end and almost did the same.

"_Try not to worry about it so much, Sor. I'll try to keep you distracted as much as I can. Maybe you'll even have a fun time._"

"...maybe."

"_Ok well I've got to go get ready. So talk to you later._"

"Wait! What do you have to get ready for on a Saturday morning?" Sora frowned, flipping onto his stomach. Riku chuckled.

"_Not everyone is a bum like you, Sora. Some of us actually get off their asses on the weekends to do stuff. I have a club meeting to go to._"

"Oh... hey wait! I'm not a bum!" Sora sat up, glaring at the air in front of him. Riku chuckled again.

"_Ok, so you're not a bum. But you do lay in bed or on the couch all day on most weekends. You need to get out more._" Sora laid back down with a sigh.

"Maybe." There were a few minutes of silence before Riku spoke up again.

"_Hey, Sor?_"

"Yeah, Riku?"

"_I'm going to ask you a question. It's a hypothetical situation. I-it's for a paper I'm doing._" Sora listened and waited, not hearing the nervousness in Riku's voice.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"..._If I told you I was gay, would that affect our friendship in any way?_" Sora froze.

"Y-you're doing a paper on this kind of stuff? That's not even funny, Riku!" he said quickly, trying not to choke on his words.

"_I-it's not a joke, Sora. I have no choice but to do it on this... just answer the question please,_" he said quietly. Sora, still reeling over the question, didn't hear the desperation in his voice.

"W-well," Sora started, trying to think about it. "It's hard to imagine. I-I mean, it's just weird. It's too weird thinking my best friend is gay. It's just wrong, isn't it?" He paused and took a deep breath to stop his rambling. It didn't help. "I don't know. I mean, you are my best friend. I can't imagine not being friends with you. But I can't imagine you being gay either. UGH! This is so frustrating! Whatever teacher gave you that topic is just stupid!"

"_...ok. I really should go get ready now._" And with that, Riku hung up the phone.

"Riku?" Sora frowned, hearing nothing. "What was that all about?" He snapped his phone shut and rolled over, his mind going crazy with thoughts of Riku, Roxas, and the upcoming trip. He groaned and looked at the time on his phone. 9:50. Kairi should be up and wondering why he hadn't called her yet. Just as he thought that, the phone started ringing in his hand, the screen reading: INCOMING CALL... KAIRI.

Ignoring the guilt piling up inside him, he put his phone on silent and placed it on his desk. He didn't think he could deal with anyone right now, let alone an excited fan of the band he didn't want to hear about at that moment. He would deal with Kairi later, when he wasn't feeling like crap.

Sighing for the millionth time that morning, he rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind so that he could fall into a nice, deep sleep. He smiled slightly, remembering how Riku had called him a bum earlier. Maybe he was just a little bit of a bum. A few minutes later, he was just starting to doze off when Hayner's loud blaring alarm went off.

"AAAAHHHHH!" A loud thump was heard and Sora cracked an eye open to see his roommate groaning on the floor, rubbing his head. He was still amazed that Hayner could sleep through his whole conversation with Riku but still manage to wake up when he was having a nightmare and talking in his sleep. He watched as Hayner got up and turned off the alarm.

"Heh, sorry about that," Hayner said sleepily, seeing that Sora was awake. Sora waved the apology away, he was used to it by now.

"It's ok." And with that he turned onto his side and tried to get back to sleep. However, this time sleep wasn't coming. After laying there without sleep for another 20 minutes, he sat up and watched Hayner get himself some cereal for breakfast. After another 5 minutes, he decided that he might as well get himself some breakfast too. It felt like it was going to be a loooooong weekend for him.

* * *

^_^ I like... kinda... 3 please review! 3 And check out my other AkuRoku story, The Second Born! I'll be posting a new chapter for that one soon too!

AND I'M GOING TO PUT UP A SPECIAL ONESHOT DEDICATED TO ALL OF YOU BECAUSE THIS STORY HAS REACHED 1000 HITS! YAY!


	8. Chapter 7: Back Again

Hey! ^_^ A new chapter! And so soon after the last one! Well I don't know why but I just felt like writing so I did. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter exactly but I'll just let you all tell me what you think. It is good or do you want me to change it? I had 3 different ideas for this chapter so it was hard to choose.

Thanks to **bb136**, **Strapped-In-A-Strait-Jacket**, **VampireMangaYaoiFreak**, and **NormaJean Beausoleil** for reviewing! **bb136**: I know T_T it hurts me to write Sora denying the soriku but it has to be done. I'm still not sure whether they will end up together or not. I just know that either way there will b a lot of heartbreak for Riku in this story. **S-I-A-S-J**: I know! 1,000 hits! SO EXCITING! I'm not sure when I'll get the oneshot out though. I was going to do it before this chapter was put out but I really wanted to write this first. And yeah, I know how you feel about the filler chapters. I just wrote that one real quick to get it out of the way so that I could start on this chapter and the one after this one. ^_^ Hope you like it! **VMYF**: yeah, poor Riku and angsty!Roxas. I put those 2 through soooo much in my stories. I kinda feel bad that I torture them so much but I can't help it! DX it just happens! **NJ B**: POCKY! OM NOM NOM! You give me the best treats! ^_^ lol YAY! Yeah poor poor Riku. I feel like I should just give him a break and let him have what he wants but it's not so simple. I'm still not sure if I'll have them end up together or not. We'll see. And... the reunion is coming up but... it might not be as sweet as you want but it will be tearful!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own KH or any of it's characters or and FF characters either.

Warnings: blah blah Yaoi, etc. You should know what's in this story by now.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Riku, brace yourself." Kairi smirked and took a large step back, looking past Riku's shoulder.

"Huh? Kairi, what are you-UH!" All the wind left him as a warm mass came barreling into him from behind, bringing him to the cold, hard floor in front of him.

"RIKU!" The mass yelled loudly in his ear. Getting his air back, Riku fought down a blush as he realized just who was laying on top of him.

"Riku, I'm surprised. Back in high school, all you needed was a look from me and you knew he was coming. Getting lazy in your old age, huh?" Kairi laughed, walking over to them. Riku rolled his eyes at her and turned his head to look at the brunette who was smiling widely at him. He felt his heart skip a beat as he looked into the deep blue eyes he hadn't seen in months and had to force down another blush that he felt coming on.

"Hey, Sora, mind getting off of me now? You're getting heavy! Did you spend all your time in the dining hall or what?" He felt both relieved and disappointed as Sora pouted and rolled off of him. He felt the urge to grab him and bring him back but held himself in check as his friend straightened up and began whining at him.

"You're so mean, Riku! I'm not fat!" Riku chuckled and took the hand that appeared in front of him. When he got up he was face to face with Hayner, the lucky SOB that got to room with Sora.

"I don't know, Sora. The way you pig out in the dining hall is pretty impressive. Not to mention that you are friends with all the staff in every place on campus that serves food," Hayner said, chuckling. Sora just frowned some more before Kairi came over and hugged him.

"Oh, come on. Stop making fun. We all know how Sora loves his food," Kairi said, giving him a peck on the lips. "It's almost enough to make me jealous sometimes."

Riku looked away during this exchange, feeling his own jealousy spike up inside him. When he looked again, they 2 were smiling at each other and holding hands. Riku let out a sigh and rolled his eyes at the cuteness of their display. Hayner shifted uncomfortably beside him.

"Hey, hey, enough of that mushy stuff. Do that on your own time," he whined, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Speaking of mushy stuff, where are the other 2 lovebirds?" Sora frowned and looked around.

"Oh yeah," he said, finally realizing that 2 of their number was missing. "Where are Olette and Pence?"

"They are coming on a later flight," Riku said, thankful for Hayner's distraction. "They had a few things to finish up on campus before they left. They told us to come first because their flight would probably be getting in really late tonight."

"Oh, ok." For a few more minutes they all stood around, looking at each other.

"Well? Should we get going?" Hayner said, picking up his bag. The group all looked at him and nodded, happy that someone was taking charge. The blonde rolled his eyes and led the way out of the airport, smiling at the familiar scenery of the Destiny Islands. It was good to be home, he thought happily as they made their way to the bus stop. Looking back at his friends, he caught a glimpse of a troubled look on Sora's face but let it slide when he blinked and it was gone.

**-_R-_**

Axel yawned and got up from his seat on the stage of tonight's show. It was a little nostalgic to be back there at Club Dusk. His mind kept floating back in time to the night he met Roxas and invited him to their show. He took a look around at the familiar place, watching as some crewmembers started on a few preparations for the show. It really hadn't changed much since then. Sighing, he remembered how nervous Roxas had been the night before and decided to go see how he was doing. It was still early so he had plenty of time to kill before he had to start setting up.

"Axel." The redhead groaned and stopped in his tracks, turning to face the one who had called out to him. Saix, with his long blue hair and x-shaped scar on his forehead, walked up to him with a frown. Before he even said anything, Axel held a hand up to stop him.

"Don't go lecturing me about work and whatnot, I've been doing this long enough to know what I'm doing and I don't appreciate the speeches you like to give me," he said, crossing his arms and giving Saix a look that said 'Go ahead, I dare you.' The blue haired man just rolled his eyes and began talking.

"I was just going to tell you to be on your best behavior today. We have fans coming in today with the band and they're getting a tour of everything behind the scenes. So—"

"What do you mean the fans are coming backstage?" Axel said, grabbing Saix by the shirt. He thought back to Roxas' fear and hoped that it wouldn't come true.

"Axel," growled Saix, pushing the redhead away. "I know you were there during the announcement I made last week. I told everyone about the contest winners that were coming back stage. Some college kids from Twilight University won and they'll be here in about an hour." Axel gave a sigh of relief and smiled, waving as he started to walk away.

"Ok then, good behavior, got it memorized," he said, continuing on his way to see Roxas.

"And tell that to Roxas as well! I don't want to hear anything about how the 2 of you were making out when the fans walked in! You are NOT to do anything of the sort when they are around!"

"Yeah, yeah," Axel muttered, frowning. "Well at least the fans aren't from around here." Spotting the dressing rooms, he quietly sneaked inside to see Roxas grumbling as he worked on Demyx's hair.

"I don't see why I have to do it right now, Dem. You're not going on stage for hours! I'm just going to have to do it again later!" the blonde whined, working the musician's hair into it's normal mohawk/mullet style.

"But the contest winners are coming in less than an hour! I need to look good! Plus I want to go see Zexy before they come," he said, happily. Axel slowly snuck up behind Roxas, preparing to grab him and mess up his friend's hair.

"Don't even think about it, Axel," Roxas growled, turning to look at him. Axel dropped his outstretched hands and pouted.

"Aww, how did you know I was there?" he said, taking the seat next to Demyx. Roxas gave him a look that said 'Are you kidding me?' and pointed at the mirror in front of him.

"Really, Axel. You're the worst ninja ever." Axel pouted some more, opening his mouth to retort but just then the door opened and in stepped a small girl with short black hair and big blue eyes.

"Hey Xion," the three greeted at the same time. The girl laughed and walked over to Roxas, who was still working on his friend's hair.

"Need any help?" she asked, watching him fumble with the bottle of gel. Roxas sighed and handed it off to Xion. He had never been as thankful to have an assistant as he did in that moment. His nerves were frayed from the trips from the airport to the hotel, from the hotel to the club. He kept thinking he saw someone he knew everywhere he went. He was jumpy and restless and he knew that if it weren't for Xion, he would be making a total mess tonight's show.

"Rox, come here," Axel said, patting his lap gently. The blonde quickly jumped onto his lover's lap, leaning back against his chest, as Axel wound his arms around Roxas' waist. They watched in silence as Xion fixed Demyx hair, making it look effortless. A short while later, Demyx jumped up and headed out, exclaiming that he didn't have much time to see his love before the fans got there. Xion followed his lead and left the 2 alone just a few minutes later.

"So, what are you thinking about?" Axel asked, seeing how tense his little blonde looked. Roxas let out a big sigh and shifted so that he could look at Axel.

"I feel like I'm going to be found out. I just know I am. And it's not going to be pretty," he mumbled the last part, looking down. Axel groaned again and pushed Roxas off of him so that he could get up.

"That's it! You need to relax!" He turned Roxas around and sat him in the seat he had previously been occupying. A sinister smirk creeped onto Axel's face as he put his knee on the seat in between the boy's legs and leaned down. "Maybe what you need is just a little... distraction."

"Um... Axel? I don't think—" Roxas began nervously but was cut off by a pair of lips covering his own in a passionate kiss that left him reeling. Acting on instinct, he parted his lips letting Axel's tongue delve into his mouth skillfully. He barely put up a fight before he let the fire lover dominate him completely, pressing him into the chair as his hands began to explore lower. Roxas moaned into the kiss as he felt a hand sneak up his shirt, every place it touched burning like it was on fire.

They finally broke the kiss for air but that didn't stop Axel. He quickly dove for a purchase on the exposed skin of his love's neck. He began kissing and nipping at it as his wayward hand began to play with a nipple. He smirked, nipping playfully at Roxas' collarbone, as he heard the gasps and moans he elicited from the one squirming under him.

Roxas couldn't think at all. It seemed like only a short amount of time that they had been together but Axel appeared to know just how to drive him wild. He gave out a strangled cry as he felt the knee in between his legs brush against a very sensitive part of him. At that Axel left his neck, chuckling, and began attacking his lips again. But this time the kiss was soft, gentle, and full of all the love Axel could give him. Roxas remembered thinking through the haze of his mind in that moment, 'well maybe this trip won't be so bad after all.'

**-_S_-**

"AAAAHHHH!" Riku winced as Kairi and Olette caught sight of the band waiting for them once they stepped inside Club Dusk. He ignored them for a moment and looked around, seeing the inside of the place for the first time. He had only been there once to pick Roxas up right after their breakup and keep that idiot Seifer from hurting him. But he had never been inside.

"Kairi!" Riku turned his attention back to the group in time to see a petite blonde girl, who looked a lot like Kairi, walk over with a smile on her face. "It's been so long, cousin!" She hugged Kairi, confirming his suspicion that they were related.

"Oh Naminé! It really has been so long! Thanks for sending me all those posters! You're the best cousin ever!" Naminé chuckled and pulled away from the death grip that Kairi had on her like she was used to it.

"Ok well, since I know at least some of you, I thought that I should do the honors of introducing you to the band," she said, waving the quartet over. Kairi and Olette almost squealed again when the lead singer, Marluxia, smiled and walked up to them.

"Hello ladies," he said, ignoring the 4 males behind them. Naminé frowned and caught Marluxia's eye, shaking her head slowly.

"Don't even think about it," she said, glaring at him. The pink haired man just smiled and turned to her. He leaned down and put an arm around her, a little difficult considering their height differences. He was almost a foot taller than her.

"Aww, is someone jealous? You know I only have eyes for you, Nam." She blushed furiously and shrugged his arm off, trying to pretend that he hadn't said anything.

"Do I need to call Saix?" she said, smirking when she saw the other flinch. "Besides, they're both taken. See?" She pointed to the girls who now each had a boy's arm wrapped around them protectively. Kairi rolled her eyes at Sora while Olette just shook her head at Pence.

"Boys," they said, giving each other a look of understanding.

"Hey, hey, why does Marly get all the spotlight? We're all here too," whined Demyx, tugging on Naminé's sleeve.

"I'm sorry, Dem, it's just that Marluxia—"

"—is better looking than you. I know it's hard to hear, but it's true," Marluxia said with a smirk. Demyx looked like he was about to cry when something heavy and rectangular fell down on top of the lead singer's head. "F_CK! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" He leaned down to pick up the object and saw that it was a dictionary.

"Oops, my hand just... slipped," came a voice from above them. They all looked up to see Zexion standing right above them, a few books clutched in his arms.

"Zexion, you little—"

"ZEXY!" Demyx, totally forgetting what he had been upset about, ran up the balcony stairs and around until he reached his boyfriend. He was about to go kiss him when Zexion stopped him and shook his head.

"We have guests, Demyx. Remember what we talked about," he said, heading down the stairs. Demyx whined and followed, coming to a stop right in front of the contest winners. Naminé gave Marluxia a warning look when he was about to say something to Zexion, making him reconsider his actions.

"Ok, now that we've all calmed down, let me introduce everyone," she said happily. Those who didn't know her were shocked that she could change her mood so fast and almost took a step back. "I'm sure you guys already know who the band members are but I'll just introduce them to you so it's official. This is the lead singer, Marluxia, the composer and lead guitarist, Demyx, the drummer, Luxord, and on the bass guitar, Xaldin. This is Zexion, the bands lyricist and he also helps plan out the tours. And for those who don't know me, I'm Naminé and I'm in charge of advertising. I design all the bands posters and everything else you see or hear about them is something I organized. This whole contest was my boss' idea but I was the one who did all the work for it." Kairi quickly hugged her cousin excitedly.

"So it's thank to you that we're here!" Naminé kept herself from being hugged to death and wiggled her way out of Kairi's hold.

"Yes, yes, it's all thanks to me. Moving on..." she looked around at the group of college students and sighed. "I'm sorry but I don't know all your names so if you could just introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Kairi!"

"Olette!"

"Sora."

"Pence."

"Hayner."

"...Riku."

"AHA!" Everyone turned to Demyx as he yelled out and pointed at Riku. "I KNEW IT! I KNOW YOU!"

"WHAT?" The group turned on Riku suspiciously as he stared, wide-eyed at the guitarist.

"Riku, you knew a member of XIII and you didn't tell us?" Kairi said, punching him in the arm. Riku frowned and rubbed him arm.

"I don't know him!" He looked confused. "I think you must have me confused with someone else."

"Nope! I know you, Riku! You—" Demyx suddenly stopped short and turned to look at the other members of the group. His eyes rested on Sora for a few moments and his eyes bugged out. "H-hey guys! Why don't you go start the tour without me? I have to go...um... do... something." And with that he took off, running out on them. Zexion frowned and went to follow him but Naminé held him back.

"Just leave him, Zexion. I don't know what that was about but I think we should just start the tour like he said." She turned to see Riku staring at the place where Demyx had been moments before, a look of realization coming across his face. He suddenly went pale and glanced nervously at Sora, catching Kairi and Olette's suspicious gaze as he did. "Ok well how about we start with the dressing rooms? That's where the band always hangs out anyway."

**-_R-_**

"ROXAS!" Demyx burst into the dressing rooms and froze, staring at his 2 friends for a moment before covering his eyes and wailing. "OH MY EYES! MY EYES!"

"Dem, calm down, we're both still fully clothed," Axel said, pulling away with a sigh. He had wanted to get a little further with Roxas but looking at the large hickey he left on his neck, he was satisfied. Roxas, on the other hand, was blushing as he covered the noticeable bulge in his jeans, wishing that he had chosen a loose pair instead of the tight ones he was currently wearing.

"OH GOD! I'M BLIND! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?"

"Dem?"

"HOW WILL I LIVE?"

"Demyx?"

"WHAT WILL ZEXY THINK?"

"DEMYX! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Axel grabbed Demyx and shook him a few times. "We were just making out. Our clothes were on, we didn't even get that far. So calm down." Demyx stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before taking a closer look at his friends.

"Oh... ok," he said, calming down. Axel sighed, frustrated. Sometimes he just didn't know what to do with his friend.

"So, Dem, what did you come in here for?" Axel asked. The water lover looked at him blankly. "You came in yelling 'ROXAS' really loud, like there was some kind of emergency. And your hair is fine so it can't be that." Another minute of blank staring before realization dawned on him.

"ROXAS!"

"Yes, you yelled that already, idiot," Axel said, starting to get pissed off. Demyx just ignored him and rushed over to Roxas who was still sitting in the chair. He grabbed his friend's wrist and started hauling him towards the door.

"You need to come with me," he said grabbing the doorknob. He swung the door open, only to swing it shut again when he saw Naminé leading the group in their direction. "Too late! What to do? What to DO?" Demyx looked around wildly.

"What is this all about, Demyx?" Roxas asked, getting just as annoyed as Axel. The musician seemed to spot something at that point, still refusing to answer any questions.

"AH! Hey Roxas, I know you like being open and out about things now but you need to go back in the closet for a little while," Demyx said, shoving him through a door and closing it quickly. Roxas barely got the chance to yell out an angry 'Hey!' before the door slammed shut. Axel grabbed Demyx, about to scream his head off when suddenly the door swung open and the group filed in.

"And this is where we all get ready for the show," Marluxia said, taking Olette's hand and brought it to his lips. "You know, were we get _dressed_ and _undressed_. This place is kind of small so we share this one but when we play at bigger venues, we have our own _private_ dressing rooms." By the time he let go of her hand, Olette was as red as a tomato. Pence glared at the singer, grabbing Olette's other hand tightly in his.

"Demyx! Why did you run off so quickly?" Luxord said, coming over to slap his friend on the back. He looked over and saw Axel there. "And why is he here and not R—"

"Xion went to go get some stuff for me so that's why she isn't here right now!" he said, quickly. Luxord frowned.

"I wasn't—" Suddenly there was a loud bang and everyone looked over at the closet behind Demyx. He laughed nervously and kicked the door, making a bang of his own.

"Sorry, I kick things when I'm nervous," he said, kicking the door again to cover what sounded like a yell. Axel was too busy staring at their new guests to bother helping him. So Roxas had been right! He might be found out! His own brother and his friends were all here, only a few feet away from the door that he hid behind.

"Hey guys, just so you know this is Axel. He's been my best friend since we were 8 and he works behind the scenes with all the cool special effects you see during our shows. And he's also the one who almost set me on fire once during a show because he's a slight pyromaniac," Demyx said, trying to distract everyone. "And Xion is the person who take care of us here in the dressing room. She designs the clothes, tells the make-up artists and hair stylists what to do. She's pretty good at her job."

"Huh? But—"

Demyx lunged away from the door and slapped a hand over Luxord's mouth. But the minute he left the door, it came tumbling open and an angry, teary-eyed Roxas came running out.

"Axel!" he yelled, almost choking on the name. He lunged at the redhead and latched onto him like his life depended on it.

"Rox..." Axel began, looking at the wide-eyed group of people in front of them. Roxas still hadn't noticed and started yelling.

"I can't believe you, Demyx! You know I'm claustrophobic! What the hell!" He buried his face in Axel chest, letting out a sob.

"Roxas," Axel said again, holding him tightly. "W-we have company." Calming down slightly now that Axel was holding him, he picked his head up and looked around, freezing as his eyes met a pair of blue eyes, identical to his own.

* * *

Don't kill me! *hides* I know, I hate cliffhangers too but I'm having problems continuing from here because I'm debating on 2 different ideas for the reactions of Sora and everyone else. I need to pick one first. So if you guys have any idea then tell me! It might help!

So please review! And also, what do you think about soriku? I'm still deciding if I want to or not. Hmmmm...


	9. Chapter 8: Reunion

Hey! I'm not dead! XD I've just been extremely stressed and busy and not able to continue this story for months... but now I'm back! Thanks to all who reviewed! I read all the ideas that people had but I decided to go with this. I'm not completely happy with it but there are parts that I love. ^_^ Ok now on to the story!

btw Ashakra, I love Seifer/Hayner as a couple but it's not going to happen in this story. Maybe in another one ^_^ But I'm still thinking about Riku/Sora!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own KH or any of it's characters or and FF characters either.

WARNING: Yaoi, etc

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"Oh my god."

Kairi's soft whisper was the only time anyone spoke for the next 5 minutes. The tension was so thick you could probably cut it with a knife. The majority of the room was staring between the twins in shock, no one knowing quite how to handle the situation. Roxas still hadn't noticed the others in the room, too focused on his brother. He felt the panic rising in his chest and for a moment, he forgot how to breathe. Sora hadn't moved since the moment he had set eyes on Roxas. There was no way of reading the emotions that swirled within his bright blue orbs and he betrayed nothing with the expression on his face. It stayed that way until a clueless band member decided to speak up.

"Uh... so you guys know each other?" Marluxia asked, fed up with the silence. That's all it took to make Sora snap. Roxas flinched as Sora clenched his fists and took a step forward, his emotions spilling out in a big rush. Anger, pain, and sadness just to name a few.

"Roxas," he started, his entire body shaking as he struggled to say the words calmly. "Do... do you think we can talk somewhere private?" Roxas hesitated, glancing around the room once before he nodded. As much as he wanted Axel by his side, he would rather talk to his brother alone. And he didn't think he could deal with all of his old friends and his brother all at once. So he took a deep breath and looked around at once more.

"C-could you all leave us alone p-please?" he asked, his voice a little higher than it normally was. The room was silent for a while before the shuffling started as they began to leave the room. The last one to leave was Axel, who hesitated at the door and gave Roxas a concerned look before he slowly closed the door, leaving the brothers to talk.

Roxas, who had been expecting Sora to start right in on the yelling once they were alone, was surprised when his brother just stood there and stared at him. He was even more surprised when Sora walked up to him and started touching him, like he was trying to see if he was real or not. When he started feeling his face, Roxas was about to protest when he felt a sudden sting on his cheek and his head flew to the side. Before he could even process that he had been slapped, he felt himself being pulled into his brother's arms and a sobbing head was buried in his shoulder.

"S-Sora?" The brunette didn't answer; he just buried his head even further into his newfound refuge. Roxas slowly brought his arms up, awkwardly wrapping his arms around the crying boy. He felt the anxiousness that the sight of his brother had caused start to fade and a feeling of warmth replaced it. A few tears of his own started to leak out as all the memories of his childhood came rushing back to him. All the good times he had tried to forget over the last 3 years had broken through and were beginning to overwhelm him. They stayed in that position, crying, for another 10 minutes before they began to calm down. They slowly broke apart and made their way over to a pair of chairs so that they could sit down and talk.

"Roxas, why did you leave?" Sora asked once they had settled down. "Do you have any idea what that did to us? To me?" Roxas looked down, trying to find the words to explain everything to his brother.

"I... I'm so sorry, Sora," he whispered, wringing his hands in his lap. "I didn't want to hurt you but—"

"But you did!"

"I know, I know... Sor... I wanted to tell you so much. But I was afraid. So when the chance came I ran away. I'm a coward, Sora. That's why I ran away, because I'm a coward." He felt the tears building up again as he spoke.

"I don't get it," Sora said, standing up. He grabbed Roxas' chin and forced him to look into his eyes. "What were you afraid of? What did you want to tell me? Just tell me! Please!"

"It's not so easy to say," he stammered, trying to get out of Sora's grip. "I-I'm not normal like you." Sora groaned.

"What do you mean? You're not making any sense! How are you not 'normal like me'?" He finally let Roxas go.

"I like clothes. I like fashion. I like make-up. I... I like men—"

"What the hell do clothes and make—"

"I LIKE MEN, SORA!" There was a pause.

"W-what?" Roxas took a deep breath to try to calm his shaking.

"I'm gay, Sora. I'm the kind of guy who likes fashion and make-up and other men," he said, his voice fading a bit at the end. Sora looked like he was in shock. Knowing that his brother wasn't going to say anything until it all processed, he continued. "I ran away from home because I am gay and because I want to work with fashion and clothes. You know as well as I do that mom and dad would never have let me go into fashion, let alone approve of my sexual orientation. A-and I was afraid of what you and Cloud would say. I've heard you both agree with our parents more than once on the subject of how they think homosexuals shouldn't exist." Sora swallowed thickly and began to speak.

"So... it was true?"

"What was true?"

"After you went missing, Seifer and his gang started badmouthing you in school. Saying that you probably ran off with your gay lover or something. Riku punched him in the face and told him to shut up but... was it true?"

"Not exactly," Roxas said, looking away at the mention of Seifer and Riku. He had a feeling that his ex was still very much in the closet and so he would do his best to keep the conversation away from those who knew. "I was friends with a few people who were in XIII so when they started becoming famous, they invited me to come along. So I went with them. The one who invited me was just a friend at the time. But just recently we became... more than that."

"It's that redhead, isn't it?"

"Yes... his name is Axel." A tense silence followed, Sora trying to process everything and Roxas trying not to hyperventilate.

"So... have you two... you know?"

"Sora!" Roxas turned bright red and stared in shock. And then something happened that Roxas did not expect at all. Sora laughed. It was small but it was there and Roxas felt every muscle in his body relax. He almost started crying at the sound he hadn't even realized he missed for so long.

"What? I was just curious." Roxas shook his head and smiled at him.

"Only you, Sora. Only you," he said, trying not to laugh. Sora stuck out his tongue and then frowned.

"Just so you know, this doesn't mean you're forgiven," he said seriously. Roxas' smile turned sad.

"I didn't think it did." Sora stared at him for a few moments before he spoke again.

"So... you're sure?"

"Yes, Sora, I'm sure."

"Oh, ok."

They lapsed into another silent staring match that was only broken by a knock on the door. Roxas yelled for them to come in and Namine poked her head in.

"Hey guys, I know you two don't want to be disturbed but we kind of need to get the band ready for the concert." Roxas looked at the clock and jumped up in shock. He hadn't realized how much time had passed.

"Sorry about that, Namine. You can bring them in." She nodded and left to go tell the others it was safe to come in. Roxas turned to Sora and chuckled nervously. "I guess the rest of this talk will have to wait." Sora nodded, but didn't say anything. A moment later the door opened and in walked Namine leading the band members and Axel back in. Axel immediately walked over to Roxas, looking him over anxiously.

"You okay, Rox?" he whispered, glancing over at Sora, who was watching them carefully. Roxas nodded and turned to Sora.

"Hey Sor, I'd like you to meet Axel. My boyfriend." Axel jumped and looked at Roxas in surprise. "Axel, meet my brother, Sora." Sora smiled and held out his hand, which Axel shook after a moment of hesitation.

"I'm still not sure about all this," Sora said when their hands parted. "But I love Roxas. Even though he left without a word and I haven't seen him in years, I love him. And if this is what makes him happy... then I should at least try to deal with it." He sighed. "I just don't want to lose him again."

"Sounds good to me," Axel said happily.

"Roxas, you need to get the band ready and Axel, you need to go back to your work. And Sora, you will have to come with me for now," Namine said, smiling. She had been watching the whole scene from just a few feet away.

"Ok," Sora said, following her out. He turned back just in time to see his twin and Axel share a loving kiss before they separated and went to do their jobs. And even though Sora had thought that being gay was wrong his whole life, he couldn't help but feel a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest as he watched the two together. And just knowing that his brother was alive and well put a huge smile on his face as he went out to rejoin his friends.

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Hope you liked it! I'll try to write more soon! Please review! It keeps me coming back, even if it takes me forever lol ^_^


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